Demon Bonds
by GrownRose
Summary: A Kaka/fem. Naruto story where both have a demon bond and the least happy with the whole thing is Naruto.


**Author Note:** I don't own Naruto or he'd be a she. But maybe someday Kishimoto will surprise us all and announce the _boy _really is a girl after all.

**Demon Bonds**

Uzumaki Naruto was a ninja of Konoha. He was one member of the force that defended his home village from those that wished to destroy it. But more than that, he was one who would place his life on the line for the hopes and dreams of others and count himself amongst the fortunate to be able to do so. He did not dream of acquiring power to overthrow another or bring glory to himself or even to his clan or village. He only wish to be strong enough to defend the lives, hopes and dreams of others. Of those who meant the world to him. And when he was fighting for what he believed in, there was nothing he couldn't do. No mountain he couldn't climb or reduce to rubble if necessary; no obstacle he couldn't find a way around. For this reason he was referred to as the number one, most surprising, most unpredictable ninja in the village. While the others fought by a set pattern, it was impossible to predict what he would do.

While some saw him as an asset to the village, there were those who saw him as a danger. As a threat that needed to be removed for the safety and security of the whole. Because that was the prevalent view, Naruto had grown up hard. Teachers had shunned him in favor of more popular students and when one could be found teaching him if you were to look the next day you would find they were mixing up the lesson and telling him the error was his. As such, he'd developed his own style that comprised everything he'd seen others doing until he had a style that was unpredictable and very much an in-your-face type of taijutsu mixed with ninjutsu.

Even those who saw him as a hero and a valuable asset underestimated him but though they said mean things and treated him as if he were an idiot he didn't let it get to him. He persevered. He trained ridiculous hours that, had he been aware of it, would have earned him the title that belonged to a green leotard wearing, bowl style hair-cut jounin with teeth that rivaled the sun for glare intensity. But he wasn't aware of it. So he trained to his own unique schedule and kept his body in peak physical condition and never allowed himself to stiffen up for any reason. He slept in short burst only as sleep was demanded and ate in between training periods. Even on missions he did not relent on the training. Often while his comrades were sleeping they were unaware he'd left a clone with them so he could train.

But Uzumaki was a man of many secrets some easier kept than others. His training schedule was an easy secret to keep as was his true intelligence. After all, one had to actually talk to the real Naruto to notice his sparkling intelligence laying behind the stupid facade and no one ever did that. Naruto had long ago given up on anyone ever seeing behind any one of his various masks and yes he had more than one. One hid his need for a true friend; for companionship that went beyond a friendly spar meant to test a skill or ability. Another hid his intelligence lest some think he was too smart to be allowed to live. Another to hide his condition as the Kyuubi container from those who did not already know though lately he was thinking of dropping that one as it had never really mattered all that much anyway. But the final mask was his most important mask of all and the only one he'd never wanted anyone to penetrate. This mask hid that he wasn't a he at all and was the main reason for the crazy training schedule he lived under all his life. Most kids in the village began their ninja training when they entered the academy but for Naruto training had begun as soon as he could walk since kunai throwing isn't much more deadly than rocks or glass bottles. He'd learned the art of dodging along with learning to run. From there it wasn't much to learning how to tumble and not get hurt when he fell. He had no fear of anything mortal man could throw at him by the time he was three. That is until the Old Man had told him why he was disguised as a boy instead of being the cute little girl child he really was. A near escape as a five year old was all it had taken to give him a reason to make sure his disguise never fell again.

Yes Uzumaki Naruto was a contradiction in terms and right now she was doing laps through the forest that surrounded her home village. She ran, far enough inside the treeline so that no one inside the village or on the village wall could see her, as herself but her female form had different muscle construction than her male self and so it was necessary that she condition both because there was always the possibility of someone breaking the henge in battle and exposing her secret. She would not be caught flatfooted should that unthinkable event occur.

Her female form shared the coloration of her male form but where he kept his hair in short spikes hers flowed to her waist. Several attempts at cutting it when she was younger had shown the folly of that action and it was decided to just let it grow. Basically, every time she'd gotten a haircut when she was a kid, something had caused her hair to grow back to it's original length while she slept. Both male and female were small slightly built individuals but where Naruto had a well developed six pack for his chest obviously she did not. Her chest was large for a girl who wore a size two but not obscene as Tsunade's was. Her waist was, as stated, a size two and her hips fell nicely in between the breast and waist sizes giving her an overall shapely figure that was pleasing to the eye had anyone been allowed to see said form.

She ran as fast as she could leaping over and under obstacles in her path around the boundary of Konoha unaware of what was occurring within the village at the humble abode she'd called home for as long as she could remember. For most of her seventeen years she'd lived in a rundown corner apartment of a derelict building in the poorest section of the village happy just to have a roof over her head and a place to store her belongings when they weren't in use. Of course she kept nothing she truly valued there knowing full well it was unsafe. In fact if anyone had, had any idea of how to truly read her they might have been surprised by the things she did leave in her home. But no one did and so no one saw the irony of the team seven pictures that littered the place. Ramen filled the cabinets and orange jumpsuits trimmed in black or dark blue hung in the shoddy closet. The bathroom held a smaller closet that held a few mouse chewed towels and some first aid things gathering dust soap and shampoo but not much else. No curtains hung over her windows or carpet lay on the floor. Her bed was nothing more than a slashed and torn mattress covered by a dismally greyed sheet and thin blanket. A torn ramen poster hung over it and another hand-drawn poster hung on the wall at the foot of the bed. That poster talked over her supposed dream to become the Hokage something she did not desire and never really had. After all, the whole village knew her as a boy. And she was anything but a boy.

How could someone no one even knew by name become the Hokage? That's right her name wasn't Naruto at all. That was just the name she and the Sandaime Hokage had agreed upon when they decided to hide her permanently from the villagers. Her name wasn't even Uzumaki and sometimes it made her sad that everyone thought her fathers line was dead but as the Old Man explained it to her it was better in the long run. So long as the villagers believed he died without issue no one would look for her and having no one looking would make it much easier to hide.

She had begun her crazy training schedule when it became clear that she would never be able to get more than four hours of sleep at any given time and never a good deep sleep. Her life was too fragile for that to occur. If she ever truly fell asleep there was a good chance, demon inside or not, that she would never wake. And so she trained. It had taken time to work out the details but eventually she and the Sandaime, who had been her only true friend and confidant, had figured out a way for her to train both her forms to their maximum ability. While he had lived he'd made sure she had what was necessary to keep body and soul together but the years after his death had been harsh and lonely for her. Without his backing she often went with out food and heat but she knew better than to complain. After all, who was there to complain to? Tsunade? What a laugh! She blew all her money gambling as a way to forecast the future. If she lost, everything would be fine. If she won, there was trouble coming. How much trouble depended on how much she won. What little she didn't blow gambling, she blew on booze. So complaining to the woman who was always in debt was out of the question.

She could complain to Iruka but he only had a teacher's salary and if he hadn't noticed by now he didn't really care anyway. She did nothing to hide it when she was out of food and broke so those who would notice had only themselves to blame for not noticing. It was the same with her old teammates and sensei. If they'd wished to see they could have but they didn't. Not that she'd expected anything different. Her teammates still thought her only value in the teammate was as a punching bag or measuring stick. Sakura used Naruto as a vent for her feelings of frustration and since Sasuke had been returned she was his measuring stick to see how much he'd grown. She knew he was still trying to kill her every time they sparred but their Sensei said nothing unless Naruto fired up a rasengan. Then the spar was stopped and Naruto was lectured for using a powerful technique that had no place in a friendly competition. He never noticed whenever his prize pupil fired up a chidori or tried to sink him in the effect of his special eyes and Naruto had learned not to complain about it. Kakashi always told him that the eyes were obviously ineffective against him but Sasuke still needed to practice using them. And their ineffectiveness made him the best person to practice against. As for the chidori Kakashi always claimed he hadn't seen it and asked the other two who denied it or blamed Naruto saying that Sasuke thought Naruto was powering up a Rasengan and so he'd called on it in self-defense. Which was a bald-faced lie but Kakashi let it stand and Naruto had learned to just shut up and take his lumps. All he ever did during team training now-a-days was move to the center of the field and wait for the beating to be over. He dodged the deadly moves just enough to make them miss but he no longer even tried to fight back. There was no point. He hadn't spoken to them in more than a month but none of the three seemed bothered by his silence. He went where he was told and did what he was told to do and nothing more. He did not ask them to hang out after team meets or missions any more. He just accepted they would never be his friends and let the dream die a natural death.

Smoke climbed high in the sky rising over the trees through which she ran but running under and through the canopy as she did her laps. Finally she reached her starting point from the completion of her tenth lap and hanging from a thick branch by her knees she began her curls folding her body at the waist with her hand clasped behind her neck. She did five hundred of these before dropping to the branch below her flipping to land on her feet. A jump brought her hands to the branch she'd just fallen from and she began her pull-ups. Five hundred of those and she began her kicks against the thick trunk of the tree she was using as a platform. Five hundred with first one leg and then the other was followed by five hundred more where she alternated legs adding a new level of difficulty to the exercise.

She was so into the zone, she was unaware of the eyes that watched her as sweat poured freely delineating the hidden contours in greater detail. Finally after she'd repeated the kicks as punches she began her tumbling kata run. Her hair flared out and flowed freely as she whipped her body into impossible positions amongst the branches of the sturdy tree. Her one-eyed watcher noticed a few things about this tiny female. One she was using no chakra at all. And two, her eyes were closed. Three, she was incredibly beautiful. And four, he had absolutely no idea who she was but yet he felt no threat from her. He was content to just sit in his chosen tree and watch her workout though he knew he should apprehend her and take her to either the Hokage or to Ibiki for interrogation. Problem was from the level of ability she was displaying doing a simple work-out he didn't think he could beat her alone. At least not until she was done and being as he was, appreciative of the female form, he had no real desire to interrupt the show she was unknowingly giving him. The positions she was contorting herself into would provide fodder for his very active mind for a long time to come, if he could just remember them all. Damn, he didn't think the human body could bend like that. Did she have any bones at all? He totally lost himself in the exposition in front of him forgetting all about the reason he was out here in the woods in the first place.

Tsunade had sent him out to find Naruto and bring the boy to her office so she could see if he had anywhere else to live now that his apartment building was gone. The boy was always trouble for him one way or another. Yet he had to admit the boy didn't cause the trouble. He was just the magnet that attracted it. Sometimes he felt for the boy but until the kid asked for help there was no way anyone could or would give it to him.

He had much to learn yet before he was ready for higher training and it showed in the way he sparred and fought serious battles. If it wasn't for his tenant, his heads-on attack style would have gotten the whole team killed more than once but yet somehow they were all still alive. More, he was positive, due to his skill and now the Uchiha's skill as well as Sakura's ability to heal their injuries. Though he had never lied in the reports he'd filed of their missions, giving credit to Sasuke for kills that were Naruto's or attributed glory to others of his team, it escaped his notice how many times it had been Naruto he'd tried to leave in what he thought to be a safe location only to discover it was anything but. And it was Naruto who always arrived just in time to keep them all alive. Naruto, to his credit, never tried to point out his blindness either. He just accepted the lectures over his poor style and let it go.

Nor did Kakashi realize how many of their clients would make repeated requests for _Naruto's_ team whenever they needed Ninja protection or aid. Tsunade had noticed and unfortunately so had the council but his team had not.

Life had been peaceful while Sasuke was gone training under the Snake Sannin and Naruto under the Frog Sannin because that was the same time Tsunade chose to train his remaining student but now that the boys were back Tsunade had returned them to him. Sasuke had become a chunnin after the last exam and Sakura also but Naruto was still a genin. He had no idea how to plan and co-ordinate his attacks and no leadership abilities that would propel him to chunnin rank so even though there was no one except Sasuke who could beat him in the village he wasn't promoted.

The boy didn't act disappointed though. He'd acted as if it had been expected. Several others of the rookie nine were angry for him and Kakashi and the other sensei's had tried to explain it to them but they'd insisted the Sensei were blind fools. Naruto himself had stopped everything, before it became a fight, when he'd told them he'd never be any more than he was now and if he could accept it then why did it bother them. It wasn't as if he'd ever been treated differently. This was normal for him. He'd walked off calm and cool after blessing the whole group with that smile that was his saving grace. That smile that changed hearts and minds of even the most jaded. That smile Kakashi had only ever seen one other person have. That smile that said he'd never known a day when there was no reason not to smile and be happy. But now he wondered if the boy would still smile when he found himself bereft of a home. Kakashi knew the kid had nowhere else to live and he wasn't going to put him up even for a night. Nor would his teammates no matter what Tsunade requested of them. Finally the vision seemed to be winding down from her work-out and he got ready to move. Naruto could wait, he decided. He needed to know who this woman was and there was his duty to Konoha to think of. Tsunade would understand when he brought her in. Just as he was ready to jump in front of her she vanished in a flash of fire tinged gold. He had no clue where she went as the flare of chakra had been so sudden and brief he hadn't gotten a lock on it before it was gone.

Shrugging he decided to start looking for his wayward student. Why was the kid out here anyway?

Naruto went back to Konoha the same way she'd left, the henge falling over her in the middle of the sewers where she had left Naruto's hideous jumpsuit for her work-out. Sandaime had put in a working shower room here for her so she could shower after long work-outs and she took advantage of it now. The water company was unaware of the bleed-off that gave her hot water just as the electric company had no clue about the lights that worked here. Both she and the Sandaime had known there would be times when no matter where she was in Konoha she would be unsafe and so he'd made this place in the sewers a safe haven for her. All she had to do was reach it and she'd be fine since no one knew of it.

A glance at her battery operated clock showed it was almost time to go get beat on by Sasuke again and she grunted before assuming her goofy smile and leaving the tunnels behind. Stepping once more into the sunlight of another glorious Konoha day she assumed the final aspect of her male counterpart's persona. His empty vapid blue eyed stare. He went straight to the bridge and sat on the railing knowing full well Sakura would glare if he dared to sit on the bench they'd brought here. He knew she'd attempt to push him off the rail also but he'd learned to apply chakra to his feet and his butt when he was too tired to stand and didn't feel like sitting in the dirt like a good doggie. He'd wait for ten minutes before she showed up and fifteen before Sasuke showed. Of course they noticed each other but neither noticed him. Sakura immediately began talking to Sasuke about how they could get better missions now that they were chunnin and how excited she was at the prospect of not having to do any more chores. Naruto snorted and Sasuke threw a look at him but said nothing. Sakura didn't even notice. She just kept chattering.

Kakashi finally arrived an hour and a half late and immediately told Naruto to report to the Hokage's office. He then took Sakura and Sasuke into the practice area for instruction. He had a job to do and that was to get the Uchiha ready for the upcoming jounin finals. He couldn't be bothered by his deadlast student any more today.

Naruto walked off just now noticing the haze of smoke that hovered in the air. His shoulders dropped as his step slowed. He already knew what had happened. The villagers were finally fed up with him living in the village with them and had succeeded in burning down his hovel. Forcing himself to square his shoulders and smiled more brightly than usual he picked up his pace again and made his way to his appointment with the Hokage.

He greeted the Anbu that guarded the entrance to the tower and they stepped aside for him recognizing him immediately. He spoke to no one inside and did not rush in his old fashion, climbing from one floor to the next in an orderly and calm manner that allowed him to literally blend in with the shadows. Those who did notice, put his decorum down to the fact his home had just been burnt to the ground and that he was seventeen now. Most did not notice he was even in the building. He arrived in the foyer of the Hokage's office and stood before her secretary's desk waiting to be noticed. Experience had taught him not to say anything but just to stand patiently until she was ready to notice him. The two anbu on the door to the office cleared their throats but the secretary continued to ignore the young man. She always did this and they always tried to hurry the process. They knew Naruto was a good kid and ignorant people like her drove them batty but she was a villager they were all sworn to protect at all cost and so they held their silence.

After fifteen minutes of standing Tsunade buzzed her asking if Naruto had arrived yet. The secretary responded that she hadn't seen the boy. The Anbu snorted and opened her door so she could see Naruto standing there waiting to be admitted. Tsunade saw him and called him in telling the woman to get her shit together and leave.

Once the doors were closed behind him Tsunade drew a deep breath, "Naruto I am sorry but your apartment is no longer livable. Do you have anywhere else to live?"

"Don't worry about it Baa-chan. I'll find a place til I can rent something. I do have friends."

"I'm sorry Naruto. By the time I got there it was too late to save anything for you. I don't know what in there you'd want to save but everyone has treasures they value. I'm sorry I couldn't save yours."

"There was nothing in there that was more than replaceable. A few toiletries, a couple of pictures and posters. Nothing much. I can live without them." He kept his empty-eyed, brightly smiling face in place and no matter how hard she looked she couldn't get past the mask. She knew damn good and well it was a mask but the kid would never drop it for her and she didn't know why. She'd tried to be a good leader for him, tried to help him but they both knew she couldn't do as the Sandaime had done. All she could do was keep the council off his back. She couldn't even get him promoted due to his lack of any kind of planning behind his tactics. Spur of the moment plans didn't count as strategic planning. Add to that the fact that his list of skills was limited to Kage Bushin and Rasengan and he was lacking in ninjutsu as well. His taijutsu was beyond comment since no one could duplicate his style and only one person could actually beat it and Tsunade personally doubted that considering the source of the boast. His weapon skills were just as limited as his ninjutsu so no matter what she wished to do she could not promote him. She noticed he was staring out the large windows to the forest beyond the wall and she could feel the longing in him to get away again but she knew he'd never be allowed to leave Konoha except as part of a team on a mission again. And that brought up the other thing she had to tell him.

"I have also got to tell you about your team now that both Sasuke and Sakura have made chunnin."

"You don't need to say it, Baa-chan. I am off the team and must wait for a new genin squad that is short of a member before I will be allowed to take any missions. I will survive, Baa-chan. Don't worry about it."

"How can you smile?"

"Is there anything else, Baa-chan?" He didn't bother answering her question because there was no answer he could give that wouldn't break a mask or two.

Sadly she shook her head. "I'll do my best to find you a new team, Gaki."

He turned and walked to the door, saying over his shoulder, "I know you will Baa-chan. I know you will."

He left the tower in the same composed manner he had entered the place and wandered the village for hours until he found himself outside the ruined shell of the dump he used to live in. He looked the place over for a few minutes before deciding Tsunade had been right and there was nothing left of the place. He turned and went into the grocery store spending his last bit of money to buy ready to eat food. Then he turned and left disappearing into the busy throngs of villagers. No one noticed when he slipped into the tunnels of the sewer system and made his way to the hide-away Sandaime had made for him. Once there he packed a bag with everything he treasured and the food he'd bought. Then he sat down and cried. Really cried for the stupidity of his home village. The henge fell as she wept but she was grieving for her few precious people who had already suffered enough due to her presence in their life. She didn't notice as she cried herself to sleep. Her grief was so deep all Kyuubi could do was whine in accompaniment. He couldn't reach her mind when she was like this and he knew it so he didn't even try it. She slept for three hours and got to her feet after eating a nutrition bar. Shouldering her single pack she removed her headband and left it on the ground along with the orange suit she'd taken off earlier. The suit marked her as Naruto and she didn't wish to be him anymore. She had no need to be him in the outside world. Only in Konoha was Naruto necessary. She left a note for Tsunade there amongst the remnants of her double life. Then she began walking.

While Kakashi was informing Sasuke and Sakura of Naruto's removal from their team Naruto was leaving the village for the second time that day but this time she wouldn't be back. Once safely outside the walls and hidden from view she stopped and turned back for a moment. She looked to where she knew the image of her father stared grimly down on the village. _"I am sorry, Father. Forgive me for leaving but I have no life there anymore. If it had been just the loss of my home, I would have stayed and tried to make the best of it but they took my job as well. I have nothing there anymore. Please forgive me for being too weak to keep trying. Love them, Father, for I no longer can."_

Not noticing her own tears, she turned and walked away from the only place she had ever called home. She kept her chakra concealed so that it would leave no trace and her feet did not touch anything solid for long enough to leave a physical scent behind. She wanted the trackers to find nothing of her from this day forward. She knew the council and Tsunade would send teams after her but they would all be looking for a boy and she would no longer be what she was not and had never really been.

Seventeen may not be a very big number but when each number represented a year and each year was counted as a fraction of a life it was a very long time. And when all seventeen years had been years of hell it only made the time pass slower. Towards sunset, she stopped walking and bedded down in the husk of a hollowed out tree. She closed her eyes and drifted off to a night of training under the only Sensei who'd ever given a damn about her. When she woke hours later she climbed out of her shelter and erased her presence from the area as Kyuubi instructed her to.

Then she walked on after activating her night vision, something her team should have noticed she could do but hadn't. Her iris reflected the little bit of light that filtered through the leafy canopy of the trees making them glow with a soft radiant light of their own as she tread over the top of the ground leaving no prints behind.

Sandaime had once complimented her on how quietly she could move saying that the only person he knew who could moved more quietly than she could was himself. She had taken it for the compliment it was. Sarutobi had always known the true level of her skills and had vowed to never let the village or the council hold her back but than that damn Snake had killed him and she'd known it was only a matter of time before she had nothing left. Nothing left to fight for. To defend. To feel needed.

It would take her a week of solid walking to leave Fire Country behind but she knew she had that long before anyone realized she wasn't in the village. It would be that long before Iruka went looking for her just to see where she was staying. But he hadn't been an option of a roommate since he didn't make enough to support two people and without a team she could take no missions at all. Not to mention he had no idea she was a female.

"Kyu, where should we go once we are clear of here?" she asked her mentor.

"**I don't know Kit. I think we should just aim for leaving the elemental countries all together. It doesn't matter which country or village we went to. As soon as they know about me the hell for you begins again and I'm tired of seeing you pay for my deed."**

"I know you are. But I can't just wander forever without a destination. I need a goal. A place to go."

"**Let's just concentrate on getting out of here alive first. Eat one of those bars you bought. I need more nutrients to work with."**

She dug out a bar and gnawed on the hard crusty thing almost breaking her teeth in the process but it made the bar last longer and she knew one bar held all the daily requirements she needed to live and fight healthy. Her senses were extended to keep an eye out for predators of all types and to her anyone human was a predator as were some of the animals. She crossed a creek and disappeared into the cover of the trees that lined the bank. She moved like a ghost barely leaving a ripple behind as she crossed the fast moving water and twisting between the brambles and twigs as if they weren't even there.

Though she had not expected anyone to notice she was no longer there, someone had noticed. Shikamaru had seen her come by the smouldering shell of her old home. He'd seen her defeated look and he'd known she was leaving. So he'd followed her as she slipped away. Once he saw her enter the sewers he slipped away and mentally said good-bye to the friend the village and his clan had decided he could not have.

He sat on the top of the highest hill inside the village and stared into the clouds that floated overhead as he let him say his farewells. Of course, Naruto himself had begged Shikamaru to hide their friendship for his own safety. But wasn't until he witnessed Naruto getting beat for defending another child from a bully that Shikamaru had reluctantly agreed. So they hid their friendship behind words most wouldn't look too closely at. Banter in the classroom between them ridiculing their classmates that exercised their brains while hiding their real intelligence. Rare conversations on the top of this hill, because Chouji wouldn't climb this far, under the cover of darkness to further hide them from prying eyes that never seemed to quit watching Naruto.

He remembered a conversation they'd once had about class placements and how he had been concerned because Naruto's grades were so low. Naruto had told him he was resigned to it and gone on to explain how it wouldn't matter if he'd given every single answer correctly on every assignment he'd been given. He would still be the class dunce. Shikamaru complained that it meant Naruto would be on the Uchiha's team if he passed the exam. And Naruto had laughed again and said he had no choice but to pass even though he would fail it in the classroom. Shika had just looked at him so Naruto had explained what Sarutobi had asked him to do.

Shikamaru had followed Naruto the night Mizuki had betrayed the village and tried to steal the scroll of sealing. He'd helped Naruto learn the Kage Bushin and memorized the information about the Hirashin technique for him. He'd known as soon as he saw the information in the scroll about it that it was a technique Naruto would be able to do. And after memorizing the information he'd slipped into the trees where he couldn't be seen as Iruka showed up followed by Mizuki. A few days later he'd gone in secret to the blacksmith and had several of the special tri-pronged kunai made for Naruto's use. The Smith hadn't wanted to make them but Shikamaru had persisted and eventually he'd given in overcome by his own greed.

And thus neither boy was surprised to learn Naruto was on a team with the Uchiha though both had groaned to learn the team would include that girl as well as being led by the most unobservant jounin in the whole damn village.

While Shikamaru lay on his hill letting his mind run through every contact he'd ever had with Naruto and saying good bye, the rest of the rookie nine plus three were going about their business without a care in the world. They knew there had been a fire that morning but none of them knew it was Naruto's home that had been destroyed. They knew his teammates had received promotions but had no idea what it had meant for Naruto himself. And most would only have laughed if they'd cared at all.

The villagers congratulated themselves for the causing the Demon Boy to lose his home. In bars through-out the village toast were being offered and drunk to as they all thought that now the council would finally be able to get rid of their problem for them. Offerings were left at the memorial for Minato as people let him know they would soon finish the job he'd started seventeen years earlier.

Tsunade sat in her office with tears streaming though she really didn't know why she was crying. She'd had no choice in removing Naruto from team seven. He was only a genin and could no longer accompany his team on their higher risk missions. She really would get him another team as quickly as she could but he was the only genin of his class left and so there was no available team he could be placed with right now. The next graduation wasn't for four more months and she crossed her fingers that there would be a shortage so she could work the boy into the ranks then. She knew it was Kakashi's fault Naruto was still a genin but knew there was nothing she could do about it. If only Kakashi had used his eyes. If only he had seen the potential for greatness in the boy she saw. But he hadn't. He'd only been able to see the Uchiha who was so much like his younger self but even darker than he'd been. She stamped another report and wiped away her tears as she put the file in the out stack. Then she pulled another report over to her and sped read the thing before deciding what to do about it. Someone wanted to tear down the remnants of Naruto's apartment complex and turn the area into a park. Problem was they didn't own the property and no indication was given as to who did. She set the request aside for further checking later.

Sasuke was pissed. He couldn't understand why his promotion meant Naruto was off his team. He needed the Dobe to spar with. He couldn't perfect the Chidori on Sakura or Kakashi. Only the idiot would advance his eyes to their final level. And that was only if he killed the fool. Now he glared at his Sensei.

"You did what?" he growled.

"You should be pleased Sasuke-kun. Naruto-Baka will never endanger us again. We no longer have to worry about his idiotic clothing bringing enemies down on us when we're already tired. We don't have to deal with his incessant screaming about being the next Hokage or how hungry he is for more ramen. Never again will we have to suffer through another bowl of that crap."

He turned on her and slapped her. "Shut the Hell up. Who the hell is going to spar with me now? Who will I test my skills against now? Who will be my measuring stick now?"

"Sasuke-kun I can spar with you. I'm sure I can do a better job than he ever did."

"Yeah right. In your dreams. You don't have a fraction of his ability. There's a reason I try to kill him in every spar. I know I CAN'T. He will heal from anything and everything I can do."

Kakashi who'd been listening blinked. So when Naruto had complained about Sasuke trying to kill him he hadn't been whining at all. He'd been telling the truth.

"Why did you want to kill him anyway Sasuke?"

"What does it matter anymore? You kicked him off the team and left me this useless girl to spar against. Killing her would be easy but pointless."

"Why is killing him so important to you?" Kakashi pressed him. He knew there was something more behind the dark-eyed boy's anger than he was admitting.

"Because I can't kill him. I can't land the blow right. He always dodges just enough to heal it." He trailed off, knowing neither of his team would follow the reasoning.

"So you want to kill him because you can't. Because no matter how inept he is, no matter how worthless his life is, he values his life too much to let you end it." Kakashi wasn't surprised. He'd known Sasuke was an old world type ninja. He'd follow his orders when on a mission but he did not fight for fun. He did not believe in comrades and placed no value on those who were weaker than he was.

"Exactly. Neither you nor her can help my skills grow without him to test them on."

"All right I will see what I can do to get him as a sparring partner for you again but I will not put him back on the team. Meet in the usual place tomorrow at nine a.m." He vanished in a swirl of leaves showing up outside the window of the Hokage's office. He could hear voices inside.

"Jiraiya, are you sure you can't take him and be his sensei for the next few months? He needs to stay active. Without a team he can't do missions. Without a Sensei he can't train. He's screwed right now," Kakashi heard Tsunade say. He wondered why he felt alarmed.

"I can't. I have to go check my sources. Akatsuki is on the move again. Apparently they have recovered under a new leader and are out to recapture all the vessels they missed before. It wouldn't be safe to take him with me now."

"Crap. What do I do? His home burnt to the ground this morning and when I told him his expression didn't change at all. He just stood there smiling with those empty eyes. He's changed so much since you brought him home. He smiles all the time but it never reaches his eyes anymore. They're just empty pools of water that he refuses to drain."

"I know, Nade-Hime. He can't cry for what he goes through for this village. I asked him once and he told me he's afraid to. He said he's afraid that if he lets the tears out they'll never stop so he keeps them inside, trapped in his eyes." Kakashi heard him sigh. "I wonder all the time, if Minato knew how they would treat his boy would he have sacrificed him so willingly? Would he have killed his wife to bring his child into the world early just to save them?"

Kakashi froze on the skirt that encircled the building giving the ninja population a place to land when they wanted to enter the tower un-observed. That. . .goofball. . . that Dobe. . .was his sensei's son?! Why hadn't anyone told him? How could he be? Jiraiya had to be wrong. No way was that thing in orange his beloved sensei's kid. Suddenly he became aware of two sets of eyes staring at him from the inside of the room.

"What do you want Hatake?" asked Jiraiya. "I don't have the next book ready for printing yet. So go reread an older one. For that matter go find a different author for all I care," he ended on a mumble.

Again Kakashi blinked. Gathering his thoughts he said, "I was coming to request Naruto still be available for spars with his former team. Sasuke pointed out how it would be impossible for him to improve his skills sparring against Sakura as her skills don't come close to his."

"So let me get this straight," snarled Tsunade. "You kicked Naruto from your team because he is a genin while they are now chunnin saying his skills were too far below theirs for him to be anything but a threat to their safety and a hindrance to their advancement."

Jiraiya continued for her since her voice was cracking. "But now, because the Uchiha hasn't killed the boy yet, you want him to continue coming to practice until the Uchiha gets it right. Oh yes, I know about all the attempts. We both do. Who the hell do you think made sure he got healed up all the time?"

"But Sasuke wasn't trying to kill him. He knew Naruto would dodge it. It's not his fault Naruto didn't dodge far enough." Kakashi defended himself.

Tsunade put her hand on Jiraiya's arm to keep the Frog-Sannin from touching the lazy jounin. "Nevertheless, Copy-nin the answer is no. Sasuke will just have to practice on you and his little whore. I'm sure when she winds up in the hospital the council will blame Naruto anyway even though their blindness and prejudice along with your own is why he's no longer available. I myself am glad he's off that team."

"But Hokage-sama, about what I heard. . ."

"What about it? It makes no difference to you anymore. You had your chance and you couldn't be bothered because the Uchiha needed someone to kiss his ass," snapped Jiraiya.

"Is he really Sensei's son?"

"Jiraiya is right. Why does it matter now? You had five years to see it."

"But it makes no sense. Sensei was having a girl. Kushina told me she was having a little girl." Kakashi said, confusion clear in his entire body language.

Tsunade sighed. "Get in here Hatake. Jiraiya seal the room and the door also. We need no extra ears."

Jiraiya did as she requested as Kakashi climbed in the window and she closed it behind him. With her hand glowing with blue energy she made a circuit of the room just to be sure there were no more nosy nin where she didn't want them to be. Soft pops and low sizzles marked the destruction of several listening and recording devices and idly she wondered who each of them had belonged to. Well, it didn't really matter. She knew they'd be replaced within the day. She waited for Jiraiya to give her the all clear before she began to talk.

She told Kakashi how Minato had three choices to seal the demon. "There were two children in the village who were still young enough to contain the Demon. Nara Shikamaru was the better choice of them even though he was older but Minato didn't want to do that to the boy's clan. The child was the clan heir for one but also the clan uses shadows for their jutsu. Shadows are from the darkness and Minato wasn't sure the boy would be able to resist the pull of the demon."

Jiraiya took over. "The other child was Sasuke himself. Minato knew Fugaku would not hesitate to hand the boy over but he also knew of the clan's inherent weakness for power and their tendency to slide into the darkness to achieve it. So he wouldn't ask him either."

"That left only the option of inducing Kushina into an early delivery. She only had a month to go and we hoped the separation of her chakra from the child would have already begun making it possible for her to survive the birthing process. It hadn't and when the child slipped from her womb the child took all the chakra that had been swirling around Kushina's womb. There wasn't enough left to sustain Kushina's life or stop her bleeding and she died a few seconds after she named her child." Tsunade fell silent wiping away her tears.

Jiraiya picked up the tale immediately. "Minato brought the child here and drew the symbols that would seal the demon inside his child for all time. He entangled the soul of his daughter with that of the demon through the seal. The longer the girl lived the more entwined their souls became and the more of the demon chakra she would be able to cleanse. Minato understood demons are made of dark evil chakra given off by people. Apparently every time we kill using chakra in anger and hate we leave a residue in the air. If enough of that residue can come together it combines and forms into a demon. Made as it is of only hate and anger the demon knows no other way to behave but to destroy. However, the true purpose of a vessel is to control and purify that energy as the demon grows from the safety of it's vessel."

"Sensei tried for three years to convince the council that she needed their protection so she could do the job her father had entrusted to her but they wouldn't give it. They either wanted to make her a weapon or to cast her into the gutters to eventually be killed for the sins of the demon. They refused to see she wasn't the demon she contained and Sensei feared for her safety. So he created a henge for her after a vicious attack when she was three. I healed her and when she was healed Sensei encased her in the henge no one else would be able to break easily or even see she was wearing. Together the three of us taught her to be a boy in all ways and changed her name to Naruto. She disappeared and after a few months I think even the council forgot that she'd ever existed."

"But how could they forget?" asked Kakashi.

"Because Sensei used a mindwipe on them to make them forget Minato's child was a girl. The wipe convinced them Naruto was the vessel and they were only too eager to accept it because Naruto was now living in the open as she had never been before. I left the village to do some research into the location of my other teammate and Tsunade did also. We both concealed our real tasks with bad habits and let the world believe we were disaffected with the village. It worked better for her than it did for me but I managed all the same."

"So Naruto is Sensei's child but he is not a boy? Kushina gave her life to bring her daughter in this world and Sensei sacrificed her to save the village and the village has no idea of the true price Sensei paid to save them," said Kakashi.

"Neither did you," Tsunade said acidly. "You knew he was due to have a child. You could have recognized Naruto was that child anytime you wanted to. All you had to do was open your damned EYES. _**Naruto**_ looked exactly like a young Minato."

"But why would I? I knew Kushina had said she was having a girl. Little girls don't become little boys."

Tsunade snorted as Jiraiya lost his composure laughing his ass off. "We're ninja, Copy-Cat. Of course we can make a little girl into a boy if we want to. We had more than enough reason to do so with her."

"Why? What difference did it make that she was disguised as a boy?"

"You do actually read those books I write, don't you?" asked Jiraiya disbelieving anyone could be that dense.

"Well, yeah but no one would do that to a child. It'd be inhumane and the villagers aren't that lost to honor."

"What the hell do you think I was healing her from when she was three?" screamed Tsunade. "Sensei caught them before they could complete the act but it was a near thing. We all knew next time we might be too late and she was too young to know what they were trying and way too small to even think of stopping them. She couldn't defend herself from them when they just wanted to hurt her. How the hell could she be expected to protect herself when they wanted to do worse?"

"But why not give her to me? I would have cared for her. I would have protected her."

"How? You were thirteen when she was born. In the three years we'd taken care of her, you went on more suicide missions than anyone had any right to survive. You were a sworn ninja of Konoha who was too valuable to the village to be inside the borders for long stretches of time. In other words, you were barely ever here. And even when you were home you lived alone. How were you going to do what we couldn't with all three of us working together?" asked Tsunade.

"I would have found a way," he answered grimly.

"It was best this way. The council didn't target you for your connection to her and you were free to get over your losses in your own way. We did our best for her and hoped she would survive. She proved stronger and more durable than we had any right to expect her to be. But more than that she loved this village enough to take their pain for them without complaining. She used to cry when she was younger but it was never for her own pain. Her tears were for the pain of others. Those who beat her never saw her tears for them."

"But why didn't anyone tell me when I became her sensei? I don't understand why you kept it from me."

"Because we expected you to make the connection on your own. And once you did we expected you to understand why it was done. We thought you were smart and observant enough that we didn't need to tell you," answered Jiraiya.

"Besides she didn't want us to tell you. She didn't want you to care because of who her father was. She wanted you to care because she was a person in her own right. She was the only one of us who wasn't surprised to find you didn't see her anymore than the rest of the village," concluded Tsunade. "You never wanted to see her. You were content fawning over the Uchiha Prick and fulfilling your obligation to Obito. So now you can live with it. It was your own decision."

"But if you'd just told me Sensei had a son. . ."

"What difference would that have made?" snarled Jiraiya. "You would have seen Naruto? You wouldn't have. You still would have only given your time and attention to the Uchiha Traitor."

Without thinking about it Kakashi uttered his standard line, "He's not a traitor. He just wanted to learn more techniques." His mind was deep into what he would have done if he had known Naruto was his Sensei's son. No matter how much he might like to say he would have worked with the boy, his heart knew it wasn't true.

"Face it Kakashi. You didn't see him because you didn't want to. The evidence was right in front of you for the last five years. He wore his father's favorite color like a badge of honor and loved his father's favorite food to the exclusion of anything else. He had a smile that could rival the sun and melt anyone's heart. He had that same piercing quality that led him to lead others out of the darkness of their own torment and back into the light. Every mission we sent your team on gained Konoha new support because he was Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Yondaime Hokage. You didn't even make the connection when Jiraiya taught him his father's techniques you knew no one else could learn. That kind of blindness can only be deliberate," admitted Tsunade.

"I think I need to think," Kakashi admitted. "Can someone else take the team for a couple of days? Maybe a week?"

"While I agree that you need to spend some time thinking, why should I do that? You wanted Naruto off the team and now you got your wish. Now deal with it. Do you thinking on your own time," said Tsunade.

"Agreed,"said Jiraiya. "The fact that your selfishness has cost Naruto more than you could ever pay for doesn't lead me to want to help you in way shape or form."

"What do you mean?"

"How is he supposed to earn a living now Kakashi? He has no Sensei to take him out on missions or sign off on them should I give him one. He has no team to leave the village with so he doesn't have to be here on his birthday in a few weeks." Tsunade looked Kakashi over carefully as her words hit him like a ton of bricks.

"What's worse he has no home now either."

"Huh? How did my asking to have him removed from the team result in that?"

"The villagers burnt his place to the ground this morning. They're trying to force him out."

"Then he'll stay with me." Kakashi had no doubt about that.

"No he won't," said Tsunade and Jiraiya together. Tsunade continued, "You aren't his Sensei any more." Jiraiya added, "He doesn't trust you," as Tsunade added, "Just because you know the truth now doesn't mean anything has changed for him. Just because you know he is a she doesn't mean she will allow herself to be alone with you. I came back here for her. And only for her. She needed me to tell her about what was going on as she went through a double puberty. Which again you didn't even notice."

"Besides we have another problem approaching with her. Gaara forwarded this to me after Cloud sent him word of it happening with their vessel. Nii Yugito killed about five guys before they figured out what was happening and confined her in the lowest levels of their prison to keep her isolated until it wore off." Tsunade handed Jiraiya the communication.

Jiraiya read it and sighed, closing his eyes as his shoulders dropped. "She'll kill anyone who touches her demon related responses or not," he said. "She is determined never to be used that way."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kakashi.

"Yugito, Gaara and Naruto are all the same age. Yugito went into heat on her birthday because of her demon. Cloud sent warning to Gaara because they know the same will happen to him on his birthday in late November. They also sent us warning because Naruto's will be the strongest of them all since her demon is the strongest of all demon kind. She will call males from all over and they will fight to the death for her but she will kill any she finds unsuitable," explained Tsunade.

"Which is any man, at this point in time. Thanks primarily to you she can't stand the idea of being with a man."

"Why thanks to me? What did I do?"

"You read my books to her and to Sasuke. You didn't even try to stop Sasuke from trying to kill her. And you never once saw anything of value in her. She thinks all men are like you and you don't have enough time to change her mind on the issue. Her birthday is way too close."

"Oh. Oh crap. What do we do?"

"We have to get her under guard now. Before this loving village can give her more reasons to destroy it. Because if we don't this heat will shatter her mind and let all her pain out."

"All of Fire Country will fall if we don't confine her during this time. We have until the beginning of the moon of her birth to find her," said Jiraiya.

Kakashi stood up. "Where should I bring her if I find her and what do I say to her to get her to come with me?" he asked quietly.

"You bring her here. Nowhere else. You just tell her I have to see her about something. She'll believe you know nothing of why," said Tsunade.

Jiraiya had already left and as soon as she finished speaking Kakashi left also.

In the forest, Natsu kept traveling having no idea of the search that had just begun for her inside Konoha. Kyuubi had kept quiet about the upcoming heat not knowing how to tell the girl disguised as a boy for so long about the sheer un-controllability of the hunger for a mate. Her true friends had done their best for her but the end effect was a fear of being that intimate with anyone male or female and when they had lived in the village the demon hadn't wished for that complication in the life of his vessel but now the heat was right around the corner and he didn't know what to do. He needed to guide her to safety but where? They were nowhere close to his old den. A cave. Maybe he could get her to make a deep cave where she could hide until it passed.

**Kit, stop. We need to protect you for the next month."**

"Protect me? From what?"

"**In a few days a very bad time will begin for you. It is hard enough for me but for you it will be hell as you have never known before. I need you to use your skills to make a deep cave as far underground as you can get it and still remain alive."**

"Ok Kyu. Is this a good place?"

"**Hai. But make a passage leading to the cave that continues to go lower as you travel. You need to make several diverging paths twisting off the one that will lead to our safe haven. And then when we get our trace well covered enough you need to cover it with traps."**

"Ok." So she spent the next few hours making a lair for herself. She disguised the opening to her new home as Kyuubi directed her to. Only when the opening met Kyuubi's expectations did she burrow out a downward moving tunnel just big enough for her to pass through. Anyone bigger than she was would have trouble negotiating the sharp twists and turns she devised. Branches led off the main tunnel disguising her path even more.

Half a mile underground, she diverted enough moisture from the soil and plants of the area to create a grotto for herself in a cavern she hollowed out at the end of one passage. On a different tunnel she cleared the ground for a garden later after her time of trouble had passed. This cleared patch was actually closer to the surface being only a few feet under the surface. She bore tiny holes no larger than a ryu coin through the roof of the cavern to allow for the passage of sunlight and moisture for her future garden. Of course the holes also allowed for the passage of fresh air to swirl through her tunnels as well which was good for her.

Another dead end led to a storage room that was hidden from view of anyone who came investigating. This was an area where she could store things she would only need when she had to leave the warren.

And finally she cleared a space for her to hide herself away from pursuers. She covered the entrance after she'd laid her traps and had gotten inside the cavern. She was only a mile under the ground but it was for most people uncomfortably warm. Kyuubi reassured her they had a good chance of surviving so long as their pursuers didn't know what they were chasing. The heat alone would force most pursuers to give up the chase. Privately, Kyuubi had to admit that there would be those who wouldn't give up until they either found her or died trying but those were the only ones she knew who would actually be a viable mate for her container. That was the purpose of the heat.

Various small openings let air circulate through the entire complex. After she rested to restore her chakra Kyuubi taught her to make herself a bed using her chakra and shelves and she unpacked her scrolls of sealing in which she'd carried as much as she could from her former safe haven in the Konoha. She missed the natural lighting and heat of being above ground but she trusted the demon not to hurt her. It had taken three full days to make the warren and she was tired.

Kyuubi had given her the earth type jutsu that first softened the dirt and rocks and then allowed her to burrow through them. Another demon taught jutsu allowed her to simply make the rubble disappear to another location. Kyuubi told her most of the demon kind knew those jutsu since they had more need to hide themselves away from the prying eyes of man than humans did.

In Konoha, Jiraiya and Kakashi met up. Neither had found hide nor hair of Naruto. Both thought they knew everywhere the kid would hang out only to turn up empty handed. They'd asked Iruka who had no idea. Kakashi had even gone and asked his two students if they'd seen the boy that day. He was told by Sakura that she hadn't looked for him. Sasuke had just glared and said no in a very angry tone of voice which told Kakashi he'd been looking.

It was only by luck that they asked Shikamaru if he knew where the boy might be now. Shikamaru would tell them nothing at first but when they told him it was important to Naruto's well being that they find him he'd led them to the entrance to the sewers. "He disappeared into here. You're on your own now. I won't help you hurt him anymore." He said the last line looking solely at Kakashi. He turned and began to walk off not willing to give the two perverts any more information about his friend.

"Wait," said Kakashi. "What did you mean by that?"

"You're troublesome and it's not worth explaining." Jiraiya laughed until he added, "You're aren't any better." He left them standing there and walked back the way he'd come.

The two pervert shared a stunned look and entered the sewer system. Several hours and many wrong turns later and they finally found the safe haven Sarutobi had created for her. She wasn't there but Kakashi wasn't surprised to see her headband and Naruto's orange clothes laying there along with a note to Tsunade. His heart fell as he considered what the items meant. Jiraiya began reading the letter outloud.

_**Dear Baa-chan,**_

_**First off know I love you regardless of what life might bring our way in the future. I do not blame you for the mess that is my life. You didn't ask my Father to kill my Mother in order to save this village anymore than I did but I have paid for his death every day since Jijii put me into the orphanage.**_

_**Don't cry for me Baa-chan. I am strong and I will survive. We both knew the consequences of him kicking me from the team and if you're honest we both knew he would. Don't chase the Uchiha when he finds I've left. I was all he came back for anyway. He needs the last stage of his eyes before he can take on Itachi and he believes killing me will give them to him. So he will search for me and I will kill him. Konoha does not need him so long as they have Kakashi.**_

_**Next don't look for me either. I will be better off if I never step foot in Konoha again and, as much as you might like to pretend it isn't true, we both know that if I couldn't even get Father's student to see me, I will never change the hearts and minds of the citizens either. We both know this is the truth. I may be Father's Legacy but that doesn't mean the village has to let me live, let alone achieve my dreams. **_

_**Furthermore, don't send anyone to bring me back. Just let me go, Baa-chan. For once, let me find my own happiness. I will not engage the Konoha nin if they do not engage me. I have no wish to kill those I was forced into protecting. Nor does Kyu. Leave us alone and we will leave you alone. **_

_**Give my love to Shikamaru and tell him I am finally free, as troublesome as it is. I know it will ease his mind. Give Iruka-niisan back his headband and tell him I loved wearing it. I tried to make sure everything I did while wearing it was honorable because I did not want to bring dishonor to something he'd given me even if he never really knew me at all. But don't tell him that. He tried his best to be who he thought I needed him to be. And please Baa-chan don't worry. You know Kyu will take care of me.**_

_**Love you forever,**_

_**Namikaze Natsu Sukai**_

By the time the letter was closed both men were crying. There was so much emotion in the letter neither man moved or even tried to say anything as it sank in. Konoha had lost it's sun and most didn't even know it yet. Finally Jiraiya gathered up the items she'd left behind and took off for the Hokage's office. He knew he would spend the night consoling Tsunade for whom the girl was more of a daughter than even Shizune had been. At least Shizune could be seen in public as who she was. Natsu could be seen by no one.

Kakashi followed the tunnel wondering where it led. He wasn't surprised when he found himself standing near the tree where he had watched the young woman training in the tree yesterday morning. It was hard to believe such a short time had passed. His mind replayed the woman's work-out and this time he watched for the level of skill and not for the perverted ways her body flowed into each position. He saw now that her style was the same as the one Naruto used but he also saw the grace in each step he had never seen when he watched Naruto doing the kata. He saw the level of strength and power behind each blow and knew it was a good style that could be used by a group or alone as necessary.

Finally he let himself remember the woman herself. He couldn't believe he hadn't realized who he'd been watching. It was so obvious now that he knew Sensei's kid had survived. Her long, free flowing, fire tipped hair was an exact match to both her parents and, even though her eyes had remained closed the entire time, if they were the same as Naruto's, than there was no doubt she resembled her father too much for him to miss it. Her size was almost exactly the same as her mother's. Tiny. So tiny that a strong wind should be able to move her anywhere it wanted to. How could he have been so blind as to not see it? Not seeing Naruto was bad but he'd honestly not been looking for his Sensei's child in the male form. But to not see who the woman was? That was just unforgivable. He needed to find her though. No matter what Tsunade said he knew she wasn't safe anymore and he owed it to his Sensei to find the girl before it was too late. He summoned his pack and told them to start looking for the woman who'd recently been in the tree. Then he went home to pack a travel bag and leave a note for Tsunade telling her he was going to track Naruto for her. She could find his trail with any help she could muster as well as orders if she wished but he would find his Sensei's daughter and bring her home. Then he left the village on the same route Naruto had taken.

Jiraiya had taken the note and left behind items to Tsunade. She had read it through and even though Natsu had begged her not to, she cried all the way through it. When she'd read it twice he just held her and let her grieve for her pseudo-daughter until her tears had run their course.

She dried her eyes and asked him to find the two guys Natsu had left a message for. Then while he was gone she issued a new order for the stores in the village. No one was allowed to sell or offer for sale any orange jumpsuit that even slightly resembled the one Naruto had always worn. In fact, clothing that had the color orange in it was to be destroyed immediately. No orange would ever grace the back of another Konoha citizen since in her opinion they were not worthy of wearing the bright happy shade. The truth was, she couldn't bear to look out on the village she protected and see the color Naruto had loved to wear. The ban was posted and caused much laughter as store owners thought it was a joke.

Flyers, warning the citizens not to wear orange, were posted all around the village. They warned the people that failure to comply would not be tolerated and anyone seen wearing the forbidden color would find themselves incarcerated and the offending items removed from their person by force if necessary. Tsunade was dead serious about not wanting the color in her village anymore.

Shikamaru and Iruka were brought into her office and she dutifully passed on Naruto's message to them. She gave Iruka the headband which he just stared at until he finally asked why Naruto had left. She explained the whole story to him and by the time she was done he was in tears but he was also angry. Angry at himself for not realizing his little brother was a girl all along. Angry at Shikamaru for not letting him know what the other teachers were doing during their academy days. But most of all, angry at Kakashi for the way he'd constantly ignored everything about Naruto. He told Tsunade flat out to keep that jounin away from him lest he beat the crap out of him and that went for the two former teammates of Naruto as well.

Before they left Tsunade told them of the new ban she'd just enacted and why. She asked them to please do what they could to see the ban enforced and gave them both a copy of the doctrine. They shared an identical smirk as they left the office together.

A stop by Naruto's favorite restaurant was their first order of business. They found the couple who ran the stand already knew Naruto was gone, as he'd stopped by as soon as he'd left Tsunade's office after being told of his change in status. He'd explained that he would no longer have the money for their ramen and had no hopes of every making another ryu in his life. He'd told them his plan to leave and begged them to give him a week's head start before telling anyone the truth. Both had hoped someone would prove the boy wrong and come around asking for him. But neither were surprised when no one did. They informed the couple of Tsunade's new decree and asked if they'd like to help enforce it. With the same grins Shikamaru and Iruka wore they agreed and closed down the Ramen Stand for the day.

Together they left for the marketing district of the village. The first store they entered they found many items with orange offered for sale despite the new prohibition against it and ripped them all off the racks. Together they carried the merchandise into the street as the merchant yelled and bellowed at them for stealing. Iruka set the pile on fire as Shikamaru stood guard and Ayame and her father entered the next store. At each store they showed the copy of the new order and by the time Anbu showed up five stores had no more orange items to sell. Anbu tried to arrest them until they were shown the decree. At that point the captain of the squad ordered the team to escort the ramen people as they went through back rooms looking for more items to add to the bonfire. Merchants screamed and hollered about unfair practices but none of the enforcers listened as they took the merchandise off the racks and shelves and went through every back room and store room for anything that might fall under the new classification of banned merchandise. The Anbu captain called headquarters for help when it looked like there might be a riot on their hands and six other teams descended on the marketplace. The original captain showed the decree to the other captains and they followed her lead sending their teams to stores on adjacent streets for the contraband items.

By days end there wasn't a single thing orange left for sale in Konoha and that included the Ichi Ichi Paradise books that had orange covers or illustrations. Anbu forces supported the quiet understated strength that Naruto had always displayed and they were not pleased to discover his home had been burnt down. Nor were they happy to find he'd been kicked from his team due to the prejudice of his Sensei and the council who'd denied him his rightful promotion. They knew he deserved to be more than a mere chunnin. Many of them had been waiting for him to make chunnin so they could offer him a place in Anbu. They were not allowed to issue invitations to genin or academy students but they could to chunnins. And they had crossed their fingers and waited for the day when the council would run out of excuses to deny him the rank. The betrayal of his Sensei pissed them off and they were actively conspiring as to how they could get even with him for it.

Natsu hid in her underground cavern going through her normal work-out to keep her body in shape as Kakashi tried to find any trace of her trail. He and his dogs were confused when they turned up nothing. They were all growing frustrated and finally Pakkun said, "Are you sure she went this way?"

"Yes, damn it. I followed her trail out of the sewers and to that tree but beyond that I needed your nose to know where she went."

"Well, even my nose can't track what isn't here. Where ever she went, it wasn't this way." Pakkun went back to the tree and followed the weak scent around the village. Every once in a while he'd branch off and try to see if she'd left the trail he was following. He always came back to her track. When he arrived at the tree again he apologized to Kakashi and told him, "She is covering her scent too well. There is nothing for me to follow. Give my congratulations to whoever taught her how to hide. She does an excellent job. If I weren't so sure you weren't lying, I'd say nobody had left this track."

"She's out there somewhere Pakkun. And she's in more trouble than she knows. I have to find her. What do you suggest I do?"

"Start walking and summon me when you find something I can track," Pakkun dug behind his ear for a minute. "She's bound to leave a trace sooner or later." Using a back leg he scratched a spot on his belly before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi sighed and hefted his pack higher on his back. He started moving through the trees carefully going over every inch of ground as he moved. He had to search carefully because he had no idea which way she had traveled. All he knew was her intention of leaving the village behind her.

In another sector of Konoha, other searchers were also gathering to hunt for the demon container. They'd received their orders to eradicate the vessel since he was no longer a part of a team and should under no conditions be outside the walls of the village. Any trace of it was to be followed with the express purpose of catching the monster where it had no business being. Though technically still a ninja of Konoha without a team or a sensei the Demon Container was finally without protection. The council hadn't missed how strong the young genin had grown and they wanted the threat it represented dealt with before it could realize just how strong it really was. Even Danzo had given up all thoughts of ever being able to turn the boy into a weapon under his control.

Jiraiya sat in between the spikes that formed his students hair and watched as his home village went into a frenzy. Those who had quietly support the boy were making their displeasure with his treatment known to the rest of the populace who were at best confused as to what offence they'd given. At worst angry at being singled out for punishment over an unknown offence. And he knew Tsunade wouldn't interfere until forced to do so. She was just as angry and upset as his supporters were and long had she wished for the right to punish the ignorant people who hurt one of their own over something he'd had no say in. Now she had her chance and she wouldn't let it slide away for nothing.

The council was up in arms when the news of the bans reached them and they tried to protest saying that if the color orange was banned what would Naruto wear? The boy wasn't known to have any clothes that were any other color. Tsunade heard them out and then dismissed them without saying a single word. It was about time they realized she did not answer to them. They answered to her. For too long she had let them play their little games where they convinced themselves they had more power in Konoha than she did but no longer. She'd been tricked into letting her charge become a homeless drifter and she knew it was manipulation of the council that had led to Kakashi's blindness as well as the destruction of the apartment complex the child had called home. Never again would a ninja under her command find themself at the mercy of that crooked council. She called for several trusted nin and formed her own council.

When they arrived she again sealed her office against eavesdroppers and informed them of what she wanted. "Jiraiya, you will co-ordinate all the information the rest of them bring in. I want to know every move those idiots make. If they so much as spit into the wind I want to know how far the spittle flew and where it landed. These fools think they are above my laws and it's time they learned they aren't. They scurry around the village like rats in an alley turning good people into idiots bent on subverting the will of fire to their own ideals. It's time they were exposed to the light of day and disposed of the way rats always are. You all will find me the information I need to hang them by their toes and watch them squirm."

The new council got to work immediately. Ibiki and Anko went to their interrogation files while Iruka and Shikamaru took over the records room and did the same thing. Yugao took one of her fellow Anbu who was good with numbers with her into the accounting department. The two women kicked out the normal accountants and closed the office to intruders. Then they began pouring over the books making a complete list of wrongs done the citizens. Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, went back to their Ramen stand and began a careful surveillance of their customers and the conversations they held. They were the only place in town given permission to have the orange color prominently displayed as they'd created a shrine to Naruto and it just wouldn't be a true shrine without the overly loud bright color. Around the village others were also keeping track of conversations being held as the village came to terms with the new prohibitions. Still others were trailing the members of the Konoha Council.

Several women came before Tsunade to ask her if she would please consider banning a couple of other colors as well as the dreaded orange. They explained the ban had finally allowed them to dispose of the dirty books their menfolk liked so much but not all of the series was printed with the orange cover. So could she please ban red and green as well?

Tsunade heard them out and then shortly told them that if they wanted to burn their husbands books she didn't need to post color bans for them to do it. Weren't they the mistress of their own homes? She told them to grow a backbone and do their own dirty work. The ban had nothing to do with those books. Then she kicked the self-righteous women out of her office.

In the forest Kakashi laid down to rest. He'd been searching all day and he was tired. Unknown to him he was leaning against the same hollowed out tree where Natsu had spent her first night. He stared through the leafy canopy and wondered where the woman was now and if she'd found safety for the night. It never even occurred to him that he was acting out of character. For the first time in years he even ignored the pull of the moon's call on his soul. Of course that might actually have more to do with the fact that he wasn't in a human settlement but it didn't even register. He summoned Pakkun again to keep him company as he let his body rest.

The other group of searchers were having a less than comfortable time of it. One of them had run into a patch of poison oak and was now covered in itchy red spots. Another had fallen into a hidden spring and got soaked while twisting an ankle. A third had set off a trap left behind by a hunter. Blood loss and a broken leg had that unfortunate soul bedridden. The fourth member of the group had so far avoided any misfortune but since he had orange on his person that would change as soon as he appeared in the village.

Near morning Kakashi woke up and stretched. He ate a nutrition bar much the same as the ones Natsu had purchased but of a better quality and prepared to continue his search. Now that he knew who she was he was determined to find her. His mind replayed every time he had ignored his orange wearing student to favor the others as well as the disgusted looks he'd received from his peers. With his new knowledge he finally understood. They'd all known who the boy was while he who preached about seeing the underneath of the underneath had seen nothing to look underneath of. He was disgusted with himself. He should have seen it and he knew it. Looking back he saw all the little mannerisms the boy had used unconsciously that were so much like his parents. Every thing about the kid had screamed his parentage to those who had known the pair. And no one had known them better than Kakashi who had lived with them.

"You should know the female you were looking for was here." Pakkun broke into his thoughts.

"She was? Are you sure? Can you tell which way she went from here?"

"There's only a faint trace of her in that tree. But outside this clearing it's clear, like nothing walked in this spot at all. She covered her tracks well as if she knew she'd have pursuers. She couldn't quite cover this trace though so I'd say she stopped here to rest. Look for other places she might have rested and I'll be able to tell you if you're on the right track but hurry. She's good."

"What do you mean? I never taught Naruto how to do this. How can he be good at something I know damn well he was never taught to do?"

"Kakashi, just because you never taught the kid to do anything doesn't mean everyone was as blind to his potential. Even I saw the kid outclassed that brat you fawned all over. I say she's good because if you'd been an hour later summoning me here even this trace would have been gone. It takes skill to remove all trace of yourself like this. Real skill. This isn't something she just got lucky on."

"I really was blind. I know but he was so loud!"

"And your Sensei was quiet?" If a dog could be said to show shock Pakkun gave a good idea of what it might look like.

"Ummm Yeah Minato-Sensei didn't really know what quiet was did he?"

"That man never heard of an inside voice in his life. And the kid was trying to be just like him. He did everything but walk up to you, punch you in the nose and tell you who's kid he was. Did you really think he could wear that color and pull all the pranks he did if he was untalented? Sheesh, humans sure can be blind when they want to be."

"Well, if you knew why didn't you tell me?"

"He didn't want me to." He sniffed the air and then growled. "Heat. Someone is in heat. I wonder if I can get lucky?"

"No you can't. Point me in the right direction."

Pakkun lifted a paw and pointed. Kakashi took off before Pakkun could dispel himself. "How rude!" the dog said as he trailed the jounin. He wasn't dismissed and the scent of the females heat was too faint for the human to follow so he followed to find her.

Kakashi traveled for an hour occasionally looking back over his shoulder to the nindog following the scent with him to make sure he was still on the right track. By noon he was close enough to smell the scent himself and he dismissed the dog back to his own realm. No way was he taking a dog near Natsu now.

While Kakashi was growing closer to where Natsu had hidden herself, Jiraiya was working to compile all the evidence the different teams had gathered against the council. One team had found out about the four-man team that had been sent out on the council's orders to track the demon container and kill it. They'd failed being forced to return to the village in order to treat their injuries which was the only reason they were still alive given Tsunade's state of mind. Those nin had broken the rules and she had them all treated for their injuries and locked up in the nin prison until they figured out what they did wrong. She didn't even tell them or allow anyone else to. Their punishment was at once very simple and very complex. Simple because all they really needed to do was remember who signed their paychecks for missions. Complex because the council had been allowed to interfere too much over the years and this wasn't the first time they'd given her nin a mission she had not signed off on. Nor she was sure would it be the last. Sarutobi had allowed them to get away with it during the final years of his term of office and through sheer laziness she had allowed it to continue. But it would continue no longer.

The rest of the special council she had commissioned was still out and about gathering information for Jiraiya to compile before turning it over to her. They'd already discovered that Natsu/Naruto owned everything about the property where his apartment had stood. It was his property that the contractor had tried to usurp.

Sasuke was looking for either Kakashi to train him or Naruto to try and get the blond Dobe to spar with him again. He couldn't find either one of them though. Ino and Sakura were looking for Sasuke. They wanted him to settle their debate once and for all as to which of them he preferred being around. So while he searched for either Kakashi or Naruto he avoided them. No way was he getting dragged into that cat fight. . . . Again.

Natsu was waking up again. She'd practiced until she could barely stand the night before and then ate one of the food packs she softened in a pot of water gathered from the small pool she'd diverted from the underground grotto. She needed to make herself a bathing pool today since practice yesterday had made her skin itchy today. So she set to pulling moisture from the soil over her head and making a natural hotspring for herself. Once it was complete she stripped off her clothes and climbed into the waters gratefully. Her chakra was lower than normal and she didn't really understand it. So she asked Kyuubi.

"**Two reasons."** answered her inner demon and best friend/mentor.

"_Well, are you going to keep me in the dark?"_

"**Hmm. Tempting as that might be I think you need to know. So I'll tell you."** The fox made itself as comfortable as it could and did it's best to prepare for the tirade she knew was coming. No way in all the seven universes would her container take the news well.

"_I'm waiting,"_ said Natsu beginning to grow suspicious. _"What have you done, Kyu?"_

"**I didn't do anything. First off your chakra is low because of how far underground we are. It took a lot more chakra to pull the water down here to form that bath than you realized because some of it kept evaporating as you were drawing it. Plus it's your chakra that is keeping it here in it's present form. The heat this far down is such that water would not naturally exist here unless it was in great quantity such as an ocean." **Kyuubi stopped talking hoping the girl wouldn't ask for the second reason but knowing she would. The Kit was unnaturally sharp about things like that.

Sure enough in moments, Natsu appeared in her mental image of herself in front of the Demon's cage. Her eyes were narrowed and her expression was stern. Most might believe a demon could never be afraid of their container but Kyuubi was and it wasn't ashamed to admit it. The Kit had discovered long ago the demon might have the most chakra but it was her mind that allowed for the use of said chakra. Her will guided the pair and if Kyuubi got out of line well, she did have to suffer Kyuubi's own torments for the first few years when she wouldn't take vengeance against the village for the harm they caused her. She used those lessons to punish her demon and one thing was very true of humans. They were incredibly inventive. Now seeing the expression on her Kit, Kyuubi gulped and closed her eyes in resignation.

"_And the second reason? We both know damn well I should have more than enough chakra to control two small pools of water such as these even this far underground. Therefore the real reason I am feeling the drain is the second reason you are trying to avoid telling me."_

"Uh. Yeah. Bout that. Well I don't know quite how to tell you. But umm. . ."

"_Kyu quit stalling and just SPIT IT OUT already!"_

"**Well, the truth is you're going into heat. It can't be avoided and there's only two ways to survive it."**

Natsu fell on the ground and sat in total silence as she tried to compute what that meant. Heat? She was going into heat? Heat was something animals went through. She wasn't an animal. She was human. How could this happen to her? Her eyes rose to the demon as the answer came to her. Kyuubi had been watching her and now if a demon could shiver in fear Kyuubi did. Natsu's eyes narrowed to slender slits as her mouth drew into a grim line. She rose to her feet in one smooth motion and advanced on the cage.

"_You will tell me how to survive this __**heat**__ that I am damn sure I should not have to suffer from and then I will consider your punishment. The worse I like your answers the more you will wish Father had chosen someone else to contain you." _Her voice was low, cold and deadly sneering over the word heat as if it was the filthiest thing she had ever in her life heard.

"**Ok well the first way to survive it is to just find a mate and lay with him until the heat passes. That way is the easiest."** The demon carefully concealed the information that the first and in his opinion best choice of mate was already on his way.

"_And the second, since that is never going to happen?"_

"**Umm just to wait it out. Of course, there's really nowhere you can hide that someone won't pick up the scent of your heat and the stronger you are the more scent you exude. You're pretty strong so you should expect many suitors even though I hid you as best as I could.**"

"_And if they are coming anyway? What does that mean for being hidden as I am? Am I just supposed to trust that they won't get through the traps and decoys?"_

"**Umm Most of them will be caught by others and killed on their way to you. Some will fall to the traps and decoy tunnels that will lead them away from us but some will get through. You have to fight them. If you win they die or get injured bad enough to go away." **He sighed and told her what else she could expect while her mind was absorbed with having to fight men strong enough to reach her down here. **"Kit, it really isn't my fault you have to go through this. I didn't tell your old man to seal me into you. The heat is mine. That much is true but it's different for demons. There is no other of my kind here. No other demon foxes, I mean. My heat would pass without challenge here. Not to mention it isn't due for another fifty of your years. But for you. . .everything is different. You'll be of age legally in a few days. And that's why it's happening now. Your chakra will slowly seem to disappear but really all it is, is that it will take more to do things and your body will take longer to recover it after each use."**

Natsu groaned. Quietly looking at the ground she murmured, _"So what I hear you saying is that I have no choice. A man will find me and if I can't beat him in this challenge you say he'll issue than I must allow him to mate with me."_ Tears were pouring down her cheeks as she considered the loss of her freedom over something this stupid. Once again fate had found a way to bind her to a destiny she didn't want.

"**Well, almost. The male may issue his own challenge but it will be you who issues the challenge first. But know this, the man will not win if you don't want him to. The female always chooses her own mate. That's what makes the fox demons so different from the other demons. And it's the reason why we rule Makai. Other demon tribes are just as strong or just as cunning but we are the only ones where the female rules all."**

"_So you're a female?"_

"**Yeah. My strength added to your own is what will bring only the strongest contenders to us. Maybe if we hadn't trained you so well over the years, your scent wouldn't have traveled so far but we did because you needed to survive. So now we must live with this. And Kit. We will get through this. I will help you if for no other reason than that I want you to choose someone who can make you happy."**

"_Yeah, right. A man can make me happy. Since when?"_ she asked bitterly. Kyuubi refrained from mentioning the boy with the bushy hair who'd seen through all her masks and did his best to be her friend. Or the teacher who'd stood up for her and gave her extra attention even though he couldn't see through her masks. Or the old man who ran the Ramen stand for whom she was the true hero of the Kyuubi Affair as the town had called it. Kyuubi just faded from view and slipped into the shadows of her cage hoping the kit had forgotten about punishing her for not warning her of this event sooner.

Natsu turned and walked away. She didn't have the heart to do much of anything right now. Not that didn't involve self-pity anyway. She re-entered reality and climbed out of the heated pool. Slowly she dried herself off and donned a fresh set of clothes. Then she heated water and washed her other outfits. She used her chakra to make a clothesline and hung the garments up to dry. Then with nothing else to do she began to exercise. She carefully made sure not to use any chakra for anything as she went through her kata. She was sure that the only men that would find her here would be high caliber nin who'd pick up on her use of chakra and follow it straight to her. It was bad enough the scent of a female in heat would lead them to her as if she were a mangy dog. But she was damned if she'd make it easy for them. Suddenly she thought of a way she could mix up her pursuers and teleported herself to the other side of the rock that sealed her cavern home.

Then she began mixing her scent and her chakra together. Using the same earth dislocation and distribution jutsu that Kyuubi had taught her, she made new tunnels and laid more traps. Some of the new tunnels wound all around and took the pursuer right back to the point of origin. Others led them in circles and brought them out in the forest or on the beach of the ocean or inside another set of caves. One tunnel brought the unsuspecting male out in the middle of Konoha itself.

She didn't even consider how she was able to make the tunnels so long or complex or make them come out in places she'd never been. She just did it. Truth was she didn't want anyone to be able to reach her once she went back to her cavern. She didn't care how strong the man was or how much her body might betray her for him. She didn't WANT to be found. The clones she was using to bore holes in the earth were slowly dispersing as they reached the end of their task or ran out of chakra. By the time she was done there were fifty tunnels filled with deadly traps leading to different locations and each one was filled with the mixed scent of her chakra and her heat. She had just enough chakra to teleport herself back inside her den and cry herself to sleep.

Kakashi sent Pakkun back to Konoha to let Tsunade know he'd found her trail and was following it. He requested only females for back-up and not just because he didn't want to fight them. He reasoned Natsu was more likely to surrender herself into the care of another female than she was to any male.

The scent trail he was following as he slipped through the concealed opening and into the newly made network of caves was not yet controlling his thinking and he intended to keep it that way. Pakkun had instructions to come back as soon as he'd delivered his message. Kakashi knew he'd need the dog to follow the true scent to his target. He was unaware of the low growl as another male scent appeared in his vicinity. Without thinking he slipped into cover and waited to see who it was.

A male he had never seen before walked by his hiding place with confidence in his step. Kakashi watched him go by and when he was almost out of range slipped from his concealment. Silently he slipped behind the red headed guy and stuck his kunai into the guys back. His strike was true and went straight into the guys heart. Kakashi had used his chakra upon the kunai piercing the guys skin to force the point of his knife deeper into the guys body. He left the corpse where it fell and moved on. The guy had been after Natsu and that was good enough reason for him to die as far as Kakashi was concerned.

Only years of being a ninja saved him as the first trap went off. Sharpened stones were forcefully expelled from the walls, the floor and the ceiling as he stepped within range. They flew out in a random pattern and he found he had to use all his skill not to get hurt in the volley. Another step and another volley of stones. Five steps later and he'd finally cleared the trap.

He paused to catch his breath and wiped his brow. He watched as the stones reset themselves into the tunnel. _Clever, Natsu, _he congratulated the girl in his mind._ Traps that are complex and that reset themselves so one tracker couldn't simply send someone else through first. _She was known for her pranks after all and now he was beginning to see why she was called the Ultimate Prankster King of Konoha. And if pulling pranks led to being able to conceive of traps of this level than it should be a course taught in the academy. Wait a minute. They did teach trap laying and disarming in the academy. Not on this level though he was sure but then again they didn't want to kill the kids. So maybe it wasn't such a bad idea that their traps were less complex.

Inside the cavern Kyuubi informed her vessel, **"One of the males is dead but a second has cleared the first trap. He watched it reset and now knows he can not simply watch as someone else clears an area to proceed safely through it."**

"_Who is it? Do we know him?"_ Natsu asked. She still didn't want a man to claim her like a piece of meat but she definitely didn't want a stranger to do it.

"**We know him. You don't much like him but we will see if he is suitable or not by how he negotiates his way here. If he is the right one, then so be it. If he is not, he will get his due." **

That comment told Natsu whoever was in the warren wasn't either Iruka, or Shikamaru but it didn't relieve her mind. **"Relax, Kit. You've done as much as you can to confuse them and make the search as challenging as possible. Your scent is getting stronger but the false trails you laid are still strong enough to lead them astray if they aren't careful."**

"_I'm trying but I can't help but be tense. If you'd have warned me about this before maybe I could have planned better to be sure no one found me."_

"**That wouldn't have been possible Kit. You're too strong and so am I. No matter how long I gave you to make plans nothing would be enough to keep your mate from finding you. He will find you and you will challenge him. The only unknown is who will win."**

"_I will,"_ Natsu growled determined to make that point very clear._ "I will give no man that much of myself. No one will ever control me like that. No one!"_

"**Ok Kit. Ok. Just settle down now. Go to sleep."**

Natsu settled down and fell into a deep sleep on her bed. She trained with Kyuubi giving her pointers and providing targets for her as she slept the hours away. Kyuubi carefully considered her young vessel and how she would react by the time the man with the silver hair made his way here. She was carefully leading the wolf man into other tunnels filled with traps that would delay his arrival in the cavern. She knew the heat had not progressed far enough for her kit to actually let him satisfy her need with out remorse or guilt. And she didn't want the man getting here until Kit was so lost in the fires that she would be unable to think beyond the need. Kyuubi knew, even if Natsu denied it, that she was not meant to spend her life alone. And Kyuubi knew the girl well enough to know that, if she made it through this heat alone, the girl would never choose a man of her own kind. And so Kyuubi had led the best that she had met to the girl making sure to leave just enough of her pre-heat scent on him to compel him to follow the girl.

She just wished there had been another of her own kind in this plane of reality for the Kit but there wasn't so the Silver Wolf was the best option. At least his clan held to the same belief system of the mating choice belonging to the female. She could feel the fires the girl was feeling and was surprised at how well the girl denied them. Her vessel was definitely strong willed. Idly she wondered as she made another group of attackers how long she would have to delay the man before letting him approach.

He was interesting to the demon as well. The man was as blind to his own fires as her kit was. Maybe it was because he'd been in almost daily contact with the kit for five years already but then again he really was dense not to pick up the scent of her menstrual flow and figure something was off about the boy who smelled like a girl. But the strongest male didn't have to necessarily mean being the smartest. And he was after all just a wolf. It wasn't like he was a fox.

Everything about the silver hair just confirmed her own opinion that women were better suited to rule than men. He was led by his nose by that evil woman who led the council. Kyuubi knew that woman would not find the reward she was expecting when she finally met the Shinigami and that knowledge gave the demon much pleasure every time she had to devote hours to healing Kit from the injuries the spiteful woman's words had subjected the girl to.

But much as she thought the Silver Hair was a stupid man he was still the best subject she could find for her kit. Kit deserved the best of the litter as a mate and she was determined that she receive only that. No one who was unworthy would secure her kit. She growled low and her tails lashed quietly. Another male entered the warren and she watched his progress. He smelled of darkness so she didn't even hesitate about strengthening one of the scent trails that led it's way into another country. The denseness of the man's mind would ensure it was days before he discovered he was going the wrong way. Why did the stupid even try to follow a scent like her kit's? Surely they didn't think she'd be desperate enough to take them. Did they? Men really were stupid. Easily controlled thankfully but still stupid.

In Konoha, Pakkun had finally arrived and gave Kakashi's message to the genjutsu covered old woman. "He said to make sure you only send females to help him bring the girl home but I think they will be too late by the pressure of her scent."

"What do you mean? Her heat isn't due until her birthday and that's still a week away." Tsunade asked.

Pakkun gave her a barking laugh. "Did you really think the heat was only a guided by a date on that piece of paper over there? It is controlled by the phases of the moon. She will be in heat for the moon of the month of her birth. It began three days ago. Not that Kakashi knows that. He's the densest human I've met in that regard."

Tsunade smirked. "So how in control is he? Do I need to tell the girls to kick his ass?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If he is meant to mate with her she will let him know. If he isn't she'll do the ass kicking herself. That one will not let anyone claim her if she doesn't want to. The male she loses to will be a deliberate loss."

"I'm not so sure about that. Human men can be persistent."

"She'll kill any male stupid enough to press their claim after she's done playing with them. And I mean any male. Right now she outclasses you for strength and that teammate of yours for cunning. No one will get what she doesn't choose to give."

"Tell me something Pakkun. Why did he follow her trail instead of coming back here to report like Jiraiya did?"

"Actually it was a mixture of instinct and a compulsion. Remember he told you of watching a woman in green training in a tree?" Tsunade nodded. "That was the woman he is trailing now. She laid a compulsion on him even though he thought she was unaware of his presence until the second she vanished." Tsunade quirked a brow and put a finger to her lips tapping it thoughtfully. Pakkun scratched that pesky belly itch again and continued, "I guess the girl knew he wouldn't listen to his own Mating Call. Damn human's been denying it for years now even though I know damn good and well he's not that dense."

Now he had Tsunade's full attention. "What? He has a mating call? Huh?"

"Well yeah. He is the Heir of the Silver Wolf Demon clan you know. We don't serve just anyone."

"Silver Wolf _DEMON_ Clan? I think I need more information, you little runt. No one said anything about this to me."

"Well, it's not a well-known thing but every month the Heir of the Clan and the Clan Leader will hear the call to mate once they are both of proper age and development. The longer they go without doing so the more often they will hear the call. He has been denying it since he was fifteen. He's gotten so used to not answering it, the call has become background music. So without her compulsion to follow her he probably wouldn't have. And no he isn't aware that is why he's following her."

"So just out of curiosity why are you telling me this since I gather he didn't want me to know?"

"Because I don't want you to interfere and because if those women you want to send are to have any hope of finding her they will need me to lead them to him."

"He isn't worthy of her," Tsunade growled.

"She thinks he is or she wouldn't have laid the compulsion on him. And even if she didn't it's not your choice. It's hers. She is the one in heat. He will be the one guided by his drive. Both are tied to demons. This is not a matter for mortals. But I will offer you this comfort. Compulsion to find her or not, if she, the mortal vessel, does not WANT him he will not get her. He will have to prove himself worthy of her. And given their history she will not make it easy for him. Nothing he has ever gone through in his life will compare to the task of claiming her. That girl is more than a match for him."

"All I can say is if he hurts her you will need to find a new clan to summon you because he will not be available anymore." Tsunade's voice and body language left no doubt in the nindogs mind as to the truth of her statement. But Pakkun wasn't worried. He knew the Fox Demon had chosen his human. It only remained to be seen whether or not the human female would also choose his human. That and if the wolf demon would be satisfied with the fox demon.

"He won't. It's no longer an option for him. He's too far into the call of the drive to resist doing as it dictates. He will challenge her and she will answer the challenge if she finds him worthy. If he beats her in combat she will mark him. He then has the choice of marking her. Only after she marks him will he be able to mark her. Not before."

"You sound sure of that but he's an old dog compared to her. He has many tricks up his sleeve she has simply never been exposed to."

"He's not as worldly as you think for all that he gives the impression of being so. Think back. You've lived here for four years. Have you ever seen him with anyone he either arrived with or left a place with? It is not the way of his clan."

Tsunade blinked as the implication sunk into her head. She sat there blinking and thinking for five minutes, trying to remember the last time she'd ever seen him with anyone who might have been considered a lover. She couldn't remember anyone. There had been lots of rumors but never any proof to back them up. And the few people accused of being with him had denied it when asked point blank. Startled she said, "You mean he's never had a lover? Ever?"

Pakkun scratched his ear. "It's not the way of his clan. They mate for life. If he had, he'd be married or you would at least know who she had been. And no he isn't gay. That's probably why he kept denying the drive once the girl was put in his squad. She was unacceptable as a boy."

"And because he was denying the urge he refused to look closely at her. It makes sense. I almost wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch the sparks fly when he finally reaches her. That should be one hell of a good show."

"Umm they'd tear you apart. But yeah it would be. He's been suppressing his own need for a mate for twelve years and she doesn't want anything to do with a man in that way. What the hell did you gals tell her a man would do to her anyway?"

Tsunade sighed. "We didn't tell her much at all. She met a badly used victim of a slaver's ring. As Naruto. The victim wouldn't allow anyone but him in her presence and she told him her story. Apparently she'd been through every debasing act the slavers could dream up and sold more times than she could remember. Naruto was with her when she finally died. She's had this attitude since then. We tried everything to convince her the man she finally chose wouldn't do that to her but because of Kyuubi she doesn't believe us."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense. Well, if my human is the one she lets win her he won't do anything to hurt her. He'd only be hurting himself if he did. If anything he'll wrap her up and hide her away to protect her."

"Ok so how long do you think they need? I do want to send a squad after her before the council finds out she left the village alone but if you think this is meant to be then we don't want the women to arrive too soon either."

"Hmm. Who you plan to send?"

"I was thinking of Kurenai, to dispel any genjutsu; Yugao, to take care of the planning for them and disarm any traps; Anko, for obvious reasons but also because the woman is good at taijutsu and ninjutsu and Shizune, I think, for any medical things that may arise."

"Hmm how about three days from now? That should give Kakashi time to reach her unless Kyuubi is diverting him but it should still put him far enough ahead of us to make sure we don't catch up too fast."

He scratched again, prompting Tsunade to ask if he needed a flea bath. He snorted and ignored her. "Anyway as for your stupid council just tell them you ordered Kakashi to give the boy additional lessons as a last ditch attempt to bring the kid's skills up to spec. They don't have to know any more than that. And the only people who know the truth won't tell them."

"Good idea. Ok You got your time. Anything else?"

"Nope."

Jiraiya was compiling information brought to him by Tsunade's council and the picture was looking very grim for a few members of the council who seemed to have done everything in their power to ruin Naruto's life in any and every way they could think of. He knew several of the things they had ordered done were crimes punishable by life in prison while others would separate their heads from their shoulders. He had no doubt there would soon be at least three open seats on the council. He debated sending a copy of his final report straight to the Daimyo so that the man could be here to give Tsunade his backing when she ordered their execution.

Back in the warren Kakashi had just finished evading another devious trap that would have impaled him in a very necessary and sensitive area of his anatomy. He growled at the pure viciousness of Natsu. His nose was quivering with the scent of her and he wanted to get to her side. He wanted to reach her very badly and the more he tried to get there the further away she seemed to be. It was driving him crazy.

He sat down to rest and watched as another contender was taken out of the race by the trap he'd just avoided. The man's piercing scream echoed up and down the tunnel as he died slowly and painfully from blood loss. Kakashi smirked. He felt no pity for the man. He was trying to claim his mate. No one was going to get his mate. No one but him.

Further up the warren he heard the sounds of others in trouble and felt no remorse for them. The men were pouring into the warren now but he felt no real threat from any of them. He knew he'd reach her first. And then he would issue his challenge to her. He shook his head. Groaning he grabbed his hair and wondered what was wrong with him. He was just supposed to get to her and keep her safe until the women arrived to take her back to Konoha. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never felt like this before. After a few moments he stood up and continued on his way following the scent trail that laid disguised under the very heavy mixed scent of chakra and heat pheromones. He knew which was the right trail to follow now and he was determined he wouldn't get sidetracked again.

Natsu was pacing the cavern where she'd hidden herself away. Her face was flushed and her eyes glowed with the fever of her heat as the burning desire raged through her veins looking for an outlet that wasn't there. She paced with all the ferocity of a woman hellbent on making the world pay. For what she wasn't quite sure. But they would pay. And pay dearly. If she ever found them. If she'd had Kyuubi's tails they would have been lashing around with enough force to destroy the cavern she was in but she didn't. She was unaware of the snaps and snarls coming from her throat as she issued her own unique challenge to those who'd invaded her lair. She knew there were some _others_ in her lair and she didn't like it one little bit. She wasn't sure why but she knew they didn't belong there. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to hurt them bad. Her teeth ached to rip and rend them limb from limb. She felt a need to sink her claws into them and tear them apart piece by piece until the whole lair was covered in their blood. Who did they think they were? Just waltzing into her lair as if they had the right? She'd teach them better. And when she was done, no one would ever dare encroach on her territory again. She was dressed simply in a dark green skirt and a lighter green bra like top. Thin sandals protected her feet from the stone floor and her hair flowed freely down her back whipping out every time she turned to pace off in another direction. Her hands clasped the opposite arm by the upper portion forcing them close to her body in order to still the trembling that was shaking it's way through her small form. Energy pulsed from her exiting through her pores and making her hair seem to come alive. If one listened close the energy pulsing through the golden wave seemed to echo her snaps and snarls as she moved.

Kakashi entered the chamber later that day. He stood spellbound by the sheer beauty of the woman as she paced before a low rumbling challenge issued from his throat. She whirled and her blue eyes fell on him. She answered his challenge with her own and immediately charged him. Flipping and twirling around him she attacked him from all sides daring him to counter her moves. She used no chakra, being too far gone in the heat to summon and control it. He also didn't use any chakra as he answered her challenge. She was the female. She set the rules. And though his own drive to mate was guiding him, he knew he would not be free to use chakra until she did.

So they fought using pure unadorned taijutsu and Kakashi knew without a doubt he was outclassed. No one could beat Natsu in a taijutsu match except maybe Gai and he wouldn't call on someone else to fight in his stead. If he couldn't beat her he didn't deserve her. He pressed on, taking punishing blows from her feet and her fists but it never entered his mind to quit the field. He needed her and she needed him.

He saw the remains of another man laying in a broken heap against one of the walls. Idly he recognized the man as a member of the Akatsuki and felt no pity for the fool. Even the original Akatsuki knew better than to try a capture during a mating drive. A moment later he cursed his inattention as she landed a punishing blow to his mid-section and sent him flying into the wall of the cavern. Groggily he got back on his feet to see her snapping and snarling at him. It was almost as if she was asking him to show her why he thought he was worthy of her. In a way he realized she was.

Succumbing to his own need he gave in and truly put his all into the fight. The two of them moved in blurs around the room. Teeth and nails raking as they made contact. Hands and feet becoming weapons of mass destruction as each sought dominance over the other until finally he had her trapped against the back wall.

She latched her teeth into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. He howled in pain but did not let go as she marked him. The howl ended in a soft low growl as he lowered his mouth to the same spot on her. He barely heard her soft yips of pleasure as he took his time claiming his mate.

Neither noticed as Kyuubi's own chakra cast the other contenders out of her lair. The Fox girl had chosen her mate and even the Wolf Demon helped to clear the den. Even the remains of the former Akatsuki disappeared from the den as the wolf claimed the remains for his new mate. Kyuubi accepted the offering and welcomed the presence of Kakashi family demon though his situation wasn't the same as hers. She knew the wolf was not contained in Kakashi as she was in Natsu but the wolf was just as tied to the human male as she was to her human.

The wolf met the fox on the mating plane between the two human minds. "You know this was an unusual way to get my human," said the wolf.

"Yes maybe but there is no other who will treat my human right."

"So that gave you the right to supercede my human's right to choose our combined mate without my consent?"

"I know you and I know what the basis of your contract with the Silver Ones was."

"And what does that have to do with this?"

"Everything. I know you have seen her as she fought your male. I know you saw her life. Can you honestly say your male is wrong for her? Can you honestly say she is wrong for him?"

The Wolf fell silent. He had seen the girl's existence played out through every touch of the two humans. He had felt her pain and hurt. Her loneliness and vulnerability. Kyuubi was right. The girl did deserve his male. And more she needed him even though the girl did not recognize this as true. As he needed the Kyuubi he realized, issuing his own challenge in his throat.

Kyuubi blinked in surprise as she heard the wolf challenge her for mating. Didn't he know they were already mated since their humans were mated. She asked him since there was no need for them to fight and blinked at his answer.

"I do not just want you for the time of this human's life. I want you for all my time. I issue you the mating challenge to become my mate. Do you accept?"

Kyuubi grinned and issued her own challenge. "Let's see what the wolf has learned about the fox." The two fell to fighting inside the melded mindscape of their human contract holders. (Yes Natsu has a contract for the Kyuubi through the seal on her stomach. It isn't a summoning contract any more than the contract between the Hatake clan and the demon wolf is but it is a contract nonetheless)

Pakkun left Konoha with the four women in tow. He knew Kakashi had enough time now to have reached Natsu in her lair and the only question was whether or not he had won the challenge. Well, there was nothing to do but arrive there and see. They traveled all day and reached the place where first Natsu and then Kakashi had camped out. Neither of them had camped all night but Pakkun knew these women would. It wasn't often only women got a mission together and they would wish to take full advantage of it. So he settled next to the fire they built and waited for morning.

"Damn," muttered the one Tsunade told him was Anko. "I can pick up traces of Kakashi here but not the girl. How long ago did she pass through here?"

"A day before Hatake-san," answered Pakkun. "She is quite talented at hiding her signature. I only knew she was here because we arrived in this spot before the scent had a chance to dissolve from where she slept. Her heat left it's own signature behind and she was unaware of it so she failed to erase it completely."

Kurenai, the red-eyed one asked, "Is this young woman going to become a new nin of Konoha? Who is she anyway and why would she be in heat? Does she have an animal contract?"

"You'll see when we get to my master."

Any questions the women posed after that he either chose to ignore or he didn't hear them since he chose to fall asleep. Yugao knew who they were chasing as did Shizune but neither woman would divulge that information until they were forced to. In the morning they moved on and by noon reached the genjutsu covered entrance to the lair. Kurenai removed the genjutsu so they could enter the warren and Anko stepped to the front of them. She summoned a trio of small snakes and told them to scout out the correct way for her. The first trap surprised them and they barely avoided the crushing weight of the walls as the summoned snakes were crushed sending them back to their own realm.

"Crap," muttered Anko.

"Apparently she has a good working knowledge of traps as well," smirked Pakkun. "I didn't even sense that one."

"Obviously," snarled Anko as Kurenai just raised a delicate brow. She formed her hands into the release seal and muttered "Kai" just to see if maybe it was another genjutsu. It wasn't. The tunnel walls had really slammed together to prevent them from going any farther. Suddenly as Anko had begun to look for another way around the obstacle the walls began to separate and as soon as they were open far enough she stepped between them. They kept moving apart and she stepped in further. The walls paid no attention and she ran quickly knowing she needed to reach the end before they reached the original point. She made it and waited on the far side as Shizune stepped into the clear a minute later. Just as Shizune was clear they heard the walls click and Anko yelled at her teammates to wait until they figured out how to trigger the walls safely. Shizune triggered the senbon in her wrist guard to fly into the walls and sure enough they slammed together again, crushing and breaking the slender needles. A few minutes wait and the walls were open far enough for a hunched Kurenai to slip inside with Yugao on her heels. Both women moved as fast as they could to get past the deadly trap and soon they joined Anko and Shizune on the far side. Pakkun joined them and they moved on.

Jiraiya sent off a copy of his report to the Daimyo after he checked with Tsunade. They'd agreed that the Daimyo should be present if he wished to be when they arrested the corrupted members of the village civilian council. Now the only thing they could do was keep watch on the said individuals and await a reply from the Daimyo. Tsunade's council were each assigned to keep watch over one of the indicated people and make note of their activities while they waited. Jiraiya still had the task of deciphering the notes for any purpose of their activities.

In the village itself members of the rookie nine were gathering along with Maito Gai's team to discuss the recent absence of one of their number. It seemed that Naruto was finally being missed as none of them could remember seeing him since the day of the fire in the slums.

Ino asked Sakura, "So where's Naruto?"

"How should I know? Kaka-Sensei finally kicked him from the team when Sasuke-kun and I made chunnin. Now we don't have to be saddled with him anymore. It was getting hard to deal with him always getting us into troublesome situations."

Sasuke just growled. He'd growled first when she'd mentioned their Sensei and called him "kun" and again when she'd said the Dobe got them into troublesome situations. He was quickly beginning to hate the pink-haired bitch as much as he'd hated his brother and knew it wouldn't be long before he killed the stupid bitch. His eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"Your Sensei kicked the Youthful Naruto from your team? Well, who's his Sensei now? Who's team is he on now?" asked Lee.

"I find I am curious about this as well," added Neji.

"I don't know," answered Sakura. "And really, who cares? He's the worst ninja ever. I mean, come on. No matter how many times we told him orange wasn't a good color for a ninja he kept wearing that same ridiculous suit. He was loud and obnoxious always spouting off about how he was gonna be Hokage. As if!"

"Pink isn't a good color for a ninja either," said Hinata quietly.

"Yet she wears bright blood red with a huge white bulls eye on her back and does nothing to conceal that mop on her head," added Tenten glaring at the emerald-eyed girl.

"And then there's the Uchiha with his clan symbol prominently displayed just in case they should cross paths with someone who doesn't immediately recognize him as the tragic hero of the worst massacre in history. As far as he's concerned anyway though I dare say there are other clans who will disagree. Clans where no one survived the massacre," concluded Shino.

"Gee, makes you wonder why they would think Naruto was bringing trouble down on them." said Kiba, giving the pair a pointed stare.

Sasuke was finally stung into retorting. "Don't go lumping me into this. He didn't ask before he booted the Dobe. And she's the only one who's glad about it. Stupid girl."

Shikamaru just looked at him. "You're the reason I'm glad he got free of your team. But I am sorry at the same time. For him. You two can roast for all I care," he said. Chouji nodded. Noone was sure whether he was thanking Ayame for the super-sized bowl of Ramen she'd brought him or if he was agreeing with Shikamaru.

"Shika, that wasn't a very nice thing to say," exclaimed Sakura. "We're both better ninja than he is and we proved it by making Chunnin. How dare you say that about us! How dare any of you! Of course, Sasuke wears his clan symbol. He's proud of being an Uchiha, as he should be and why would I cover up my beautiful hair? It doesn't stand out that much."

"Yeah. There's thousands of people with cotton candy pink hair running around the world and pink things in nature really do go bouncing through trees," sneered Shikamaru.

Neji put in his two cents. "Hinata and I can't cover the sign of our clan but we do our best not to broadcast it either knowing full-well recognition could bring harm to our comrades. You, Sasuke, flaunt your clan affiliation and just how many places are there in this world that don't know you are the end of your once populace clan? Not many I'd say. Yet, you walk right up to them all with the symbol of who you are in their face defying them to wipe the clan off the face of the earth."

"And that endangers your team. Yet you blame Naruto-kun," finished Hinata.

"I'd say there isn't a single member of your team that doesn't draw attention," sighed Tenten. "Your Sensei is famous in his own right and everyone who sees him knows who he is. That shock of silver hair. The headband over his eye. The mask he never removes. All very recognizable. Your coloration, Sakura and the clothes you choose to wear. Sasuke with his sharingan and his clan symbol not to mention all the white in his standard clothes. Whites fine for a snowy landscape but there isn't much snow in Konoha. And Naruto with his blonde hair and blue eyes and whisker marked face. All of you draw attention."

"So don't go blaming him for all your misfortune," wound up Ino.

Sakura sat there blinking for a minute as everything her friends had said sunk in. It was true they were all pretty easily recognized. Sasuke actually had the best chance of being unrecognized if he wished to. Naruto was too well known for his unique coloring and his whisker marks he could do nothing to hide. She could at least dye her hair and get a different dress but he and Kaka-Sensei would always be easily spotted. Like Neji and Hinata. Everyone knew the white eyes of the Hyuuga clan just as they knew the mask wearing, headband over his left eye, silver haired man was Hatake Kakashi and the blond headed loudmouth with whisker marks and blue eyes was Uzumaki Naruto. Even if they put Naruto under a henge those whiskers were there. They could change everything about him except for those. And Kakashi couldn't lose the cover over his sharingan eye either.

"But I don't want to dye my hair," she whined.

"No one said you had to Forehead Girl. All we were doing was pointing out that it may not necessarily have been Naruto who always got your team into unnecessary fights. Any one of you could have been the cause. In fact some of them were probably because the four of your were together and therefore recognized as a group."

"We're ninja, Sakura-chan. We strive to be different and to get our name known and feared by other nations. Each of us is unique and known to those beyond our borders. Some fear us while others praise us."

"So anyway what does this have to do with where Naruto is," asked Kiba.

"Does anyone know where he lives?"

"He doesn't have a home anymore," said Hinata close to tears.

"What? Why not?" asked everyone except Shikamaru. His silence and downcast expression was noted by both Neji and Shino.

"The fire a week ago was his apartment building. He doesn't have the money to go anywhere else," the shy girl answered.

Shikamaru added, "And without a team he can't get any missions. So he might as well not be a ninja anymore." He stood up. "I'm done with this." He walked out not noticing the way Shino and Neji looked after him or the looked they shared when he could no longer be seen. A few minutes later they both excused themselves also.

Sasuke was too busy seething to realize the group was breaking up. So if the Dobe no longer had a home how come he hadn't come to him for shelter? How dare that idiot sensei cast his rival to the winds by denying him the right to be a ninja. What was the Dobe supposed to do now? All he knew was fighting. He didn't know how to be a storekeep or anything else. Without a word and, true to form, he stood up, ignoring the calls of Ino and Sakura to wait up for them, and stalked out of the ramen stand.

"Well, at least Sasuke is acting his usual stuck-up angry self," remarked Kiba, earning himself a hard glare from Ino and a raised fist from Sakura. Hinata just narrowed her eyes and glared at them until they backed off.

Neither wanted to face the gentle girl if she got angry. Besides, Ino admitted to herself, there was some truth in his words. She might not like it but Sasuke was an angry person and nothing but sparring with Naruto ever seemed to make him happy. She wondered why that was.

While Ino was lost in thought, Sakura was making her exit. She couldn't stand the idea of her Sasuke-kun being too far away from her just in case he might finally decide he needed her in some fashion. She didn't fool any of the group though with her made up excuse when she left. They all knew she was going to find the Uchiha and debase herself for him again.

The entire village knew Sasuke was using her but Sakura didn't see it. He was only wanting her to get pregnant but she kept waiting for the ring. Even the council knew he'd never marry her though her mother urged her to hold off on giving him his child until he put his ring on her finger.

In the cavern behind the rock, Natsu was just waking up. Her body was burning out of control and there was something heavy lying almost on top of her. What had happened, she wondered as she opened her eyes. She found herself looking into the most handsome face she'd ever seen. Chiseled jawline just slightly covered in a silver stubble. Sculptured lips that were smiling. Wait a minute. Smiling? She raised her eyes, wondering just who the hell was in her bed.

She felt his hands on her body and panic welled up as her eyes widened and her breath grew short. Following an instinct he'd never listened to before, Kakashi didn't give her brain a chance to tell her what had happened. He kissed her and held her body close to his letting his hands knead her muscles until she relaxed and gave in to the pressure of her heat. She tried to bite back the moan of pleasure and need but he heard it anyway. Smiling, he slowly continued to lower her defenses until she was writhing beneath him in ecstacy.

Inside her mind Kyuubi told the Wolf, "Your cub is good. She didn't even have time to understand what has occurred. I wonder when he'll let her know."

The wolf grinned. "I told him to wait until she trust him. I can see she doesn't now."

"It's a good plan but they don't have that long. His comrades will be here soon to take her back to Konoha."

"At least, they are all female. My cub doesn't quite know what is in store for him either, you know."

"You didn't tell him?" Kyuubi wasn't all that surprised. Demon mating rituals weren't exactly the most comfortable subject for them.

Wolf sighed. "I tried. The damn boy has been celibate for far longer than he should have been but he wouldn't listen when he first met her. I tried to tell him about her when he first met her. Then I tried to tell him to challenge her when she came back from that long training trip she went on but he's almost as stubborn as I sense she is. He ignored me. He's very good at that."

"Well, she was very young then. It would have landed him in real trouble if any of their kind had found out he, a grown adult, was mating with a fifteen year old child."

"It didn't have to go that far. We could have controlled both of them. You, her and me, him. After all, we are only talking about controlling them for a few moons until she became legal."

"So you planned on challenging me even then?"

"Of course. I recognized her scent as you did his. We both knew they belonged together and I have always wanted to be your mate."

"Hmm." Kyuubi's tails thumped the ground in happiness. They decided the wolf would send a spirit token into her cage so that they could converse, amongst other things and yet he'd be able to keep an eye on his human. Since she couldn't get out to join him, they'd decided the best plan was for him to join her. But he would have no influence over Natsu any more than she would be able to influence Kakashi.

Now the Moon Wolf curled up next to his mate and closed his eyes. "Let them be, Kyuubi. They aren't going to mess this up and she will fight the situation no matter what when she figures it out. She's too stubborn and much too proud to expect anything less. My cub will have his work cut out for him trying to make things right with her. Five years of being ignored are not going to go away just because they mated."

"You forgot all the times he ridiculed her when he assumed she didn't understand him. Those will cost him more than the ignoring thing. She actually grew to look forward to being ignored by him rather than being denigrated."

"Um hm. So let's just get some rest while we can. She'll keep us both busy enough later when she tries to kill him again."

The two demons closed their eyes and tightly entwined fell asleep together sharing their dreamscape as the two humans mated in their conscious mind. Kakashi was lost in the scent of his wife, his mate. He didn't care what would happen when this time was over and she regained control over herself. It made no difference to him that the ritual challenge wasn't the only fight he would have for his wife. He had her and he wasn't going to give her up for anyone.

In the tunnels of the warren, Yugao had taken the lead from Anko, who'd gotten hurt while disarming the rock chip trap. "Gees, they really didn't want anyone getting through to them, did they," she muttered to Shizune in a quiet voice the rest of the party couldn't hear. Shizune only smiled and shook her head. They'd come upon another trap. This one ninwire that would trigger sizzling hot steam to burn the skin of the approaching person or party. The steam was actually hot enough to melt off flesh where it was encountered and while this trap was technically not as dangerous as the smashing walls or the flying rock chips it was still plenty dangerous.

Idly they all wondered just how Kakashi had managed to get by all the traps and how were they to disarm this one? They'd already tried cutting the ninwire. New strands had just rolled out to replace what had been cut and it had triggered the release of the steam. They'd tried to move around the wires without touching them but the wires were too close together and too plentiful to let them through. None of them were as large as Kakashi but they weren't as small as Natsu either even though half the party didn't know the girl they were there to retrieve.

Admitting they were stumped, they back tracked to look for a different route around the difficult trap. Kurenai never even thought to try releasing any genjutsu over the trap. If she had she might have found the way through the wires since not all of them were real. Instead they spent about three hours back tracking before Pakkun led them back to the wire trap. Sighing, as all four women began complaining, he said, "Kurenai, dispel the illusion."

Blinking they all looked at each other sheepishly. They all knew they would have more than a few nightmares over the deviousness of this girl they were after. Shizune and Yugao had similar thoughts as to their own stupidity in not thinking about why they'd brought Kurenai along. Both of them knew it was unreasonable to expect the Fox Demon, known for it's cunning and trickery to sit out the creation of traps meant to snare the unwary. All four women had much greater respect for Kakashi's skill as a ninja now since Pakkun had told them he'd reached the girl the day before they had entered the labyrinth. None of them could think of this place as anything but a warren or a labyrinth that led to a lair. Somewhere.

Once Kurenai had dispelled the illusion they picked their way through the trap and Anko asked the dog, "How much farther?"

"We should reach it sometime tomorrow," he answered. They didn't need to know he was taking them the long way around and letting them stumble across more traps than was necessary. He wanted his human to have as much time claiming and imprinting the girl as he could give him. "Maybe the day after that. Kakashi's scent is kindof confusing in places. Hard to tell which way he went sometimes."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't be leading us in circles now would you?" she asked sweetly but suspicion dripped from the honeyed word.

"Now would I do that," the dog asked. "Would you like to feel my paw?" He held out his front paw. "It's nice and soft."

Kurenai couldn't help herself. She laughed as Anko snorted. Yugao and Shizune shared another glance. Pakkun only said that when he wanted to distract someone. And the only reason to distract them was if Kurenai was right. They decided to rest for a few hours and made camp in the tunnel. Once both Anko and Kurenai were asleep, Yugao asked, "Ok Pakkun. Why don't you want us to find Kakashi and Natsu yet?"

"Who said I didn't?"

"Pakkun," said Shizune in a warning tone.

"Ok. Kakashi has won the challenge and they are mated but she has yet to accept it. Her body knows it but her mind resists. I want to give him as much time as I can before life interrupts them."

"Then he forced her?" asked Yugao with a dangerous note in her voice.

"No. For the last time. That was never even possible. She chose him. It's hard to explain. Her body, her inner self knows he is her mate. It's her outer self that hasn't accepted it yet. She's fighting herself at the moment."

"Ah. I see," said Shizune. "Yes, it would be hard for her to admit to herself that _he _is to be in her life forever."

"Indeed. Especially with how he's acted for the last five years. She's going to think he only wants her because of her form. Unfortunately, giving him more time, in this way, won't help him win that particular battle," added Yugao.

"What are you two talking?" about asked Anko. The trio turned and found themselves staring into the determined eyes of their comrades. "I think they have been keeping secrets from us Anko," said Kurenai.

"Yes I think you're right, Kurenai. And I for one will not take another damn step until I know the fucking truth. Who the hell did Kakashi find and what the hell is this about being her mate?"

The two women shared another glance at which Kurenai snapped, "Quit that. You two have been doing that since we entered the trees outside the walls. I agree with Anko. Either you tell us the full story or Kakashi and his female can stay where they are."

Pakkun gave a doggie grin. "I don't think either of them would mind that at all."

"Tsunade will kill us," said Yugao to which Shizune retorted, "She'll kill us either way. If we come back to the village without Natsu we're dead. If we tell them who the girl really is, we're still dead."

"Natsu? That's the girl's name?" asked Kurenai. Shizune nodded. "What's so important about her?"

"She is very special. She has had a very hard life but it hasn't soured her much. She is sweet and kind to those who show her any kind of normalcy and closed and hidden to those who don't."

Anko looked around them at the labyrinth they were in. "I'm guessing she is somehow bonded with some sort of animal."

"You might say that," said Yugao.

"Why do I have the feeling we already know this girl?" asked Kurenai.

"Well, in a way, you do," admitted Shizune.

"And in a way, you've never met her, for all that she has always lived in Konoha," added Yugao.

"But I will add there is noone more important than her in the entire village. Especially to Tsunade-sama. She is the only one who can fill her own shoes and the shoes of her ancestors," said Shizune.

"And we can't tell you anything more about her identity than that," concluded Yugao.

"Ok," said a very confused duo. They had no idea who this girl was but both concluded she had to be a civilian for them not to know her.

"One other question that you can answer if you choose to," said Kurenai. "Is she a civilian or a ninja?"

"She's a very unique ninja," admitted Yugao, only realizing at the last second that led to another question. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Her rank is genin before you ask and no she isn't twelve. She's seventeen."

"No, Kakashi isn't taking advantage of her. She'll be eighteen soon enough," added Shizune. "We can't really go into details but this isn't against her will."

"That's still awfully young for him," said Kurenai disapprovingly. "He's twenty-eight already."

"That's only ten years older. Not a lifetime for most in our culture. I know I've bedded guys who were a lot older than that," smirked Anko.

"Yeah but you weren't considered married to them the next morning," answered Kurenai. "My understanding is that she is."

"Well, yes. When we get back to Konoha, she will move into his house with him and be recognized as his wife. He will not have it so easy to convince her of that, though. She won't be any happier about it than you are. Though for different reasons," smirked Shizune and Yugao together. "Trust us. Kakashi has a whole lot of ground to cover before he will be able to sleep without keeping one eye open," said Yugao.

"And since he only has one eye that he can afford to keep open all the time. . .," added Pakkun, letting the two women draw their own conclusions. It only took a few seconds before Kurenai laughed outright while Anko's laugh was low, dark and chilling. "Maybe I'll give her some pointers," she said simply.

"Don't you dare, Mitarashi Anko," snapped Shizune. "She doesn't need any help to keep him on his toes."

"The girl is vicious enough," agreed Yugao, indicating the trap they'd just cleared. Anko's grin grew wider. All four women shared a look and burst out laughing again. "Poor Kakashi doesn't really know what he got himself into does he," laughed Kurenai. No one bothered to answer as they thought it was pretty clear that no matter what he might think his new wife was more than a match for his brilliant mind.

A day passed with everything remaining much the same. The rookie nine plus three were avoiding the former teammates of Naruto and looking all over the place for the boy knowing he was more than likely avoiding them all. He had every reason to avoid them, they admitted. None of them had ever really shown him any help though they all knew the crapiness of his team. And most admitted they hadn't even known where he lived. Shikamaru though wasn't looking for him. He knew his friend had left the village the day of the fire. Instead, he was helping Tsunade get rid of Naruto's enemies.

Tsunade, her chosen council and Jiraiya were still waiting on answer from the Daimyo, though Tsunade did send a messenger slug to Shizune telling her to tell Kakashi the story they'd cooked up to keep Natsu out of trouble with the council in case they got back before she had the troublesome members arrested and tried for treason. Though she could have trusted Pakkun to pass the message on she'd forgotten to tell him to tell Kakashi.

In the labyrinth, the tracker team was still fighting their way through the traps trying to reach the lair where their target was confined with Kakashi. And in the lair itself Kakashi was doing his level best to keep his mate's mind too occupied to allow rational thought. Thanks to her demon driven heat the job wasn't all that difficult. Though sometimes their joining was definitely more anger driven than anything else he still succeeded in delaying her thought process enough not to have to answer any questions he didn't want to. And answering her questions, he decided, was something that could wait until he'd figured out the answers himself.

The day after that the retrieval team was at the rock guarding the entrance of the lair. "We're here," said Pakkun. "Kakashi and his mate are on the other side of this rock but we should probably give them a few more minutes." He paused and cocked his head to the side and added, "Maybe an hour or two," None of the women knew a dog could leer until that moment and Kurenai made a mental note to slap Kiba silly if she ever saw that look on Akamaru's face.

The other women all groaned and called out to Kakashi. "Kakashi, time to go. Wrap it up," and sat down to wait. None of them really wanted to see another couple in the all together and otherwise engaged in private activities.

Kakashi ignored the call and set to taking care of his mates heat rush again. They'd barely taken the necessary time to eat but he knew it was time to take her home. After he settled her heat he dragged himself from the bed and picked her up. He carried her over to the indoor hotspring and walked in still holding her close to him. She was drowsy as she always was when she was sated but not asleep. "Kashi, what's going on?" she whispered.

"The retrieval team has arrived to escort us back to Konoha. They're here to protect you until you get back to Tsunade."

"I'm not going back there," she said running her hand over the surface of the water and then raising it. She used chakra to bring the water up with her hand and let the thin tendrils dance over the surface. As she moved her hand the water performed an intricate dance as if it were a living entity. Kakashi watched entranced by the simple manipulation until Anko banged on the rock telling them in her own ever-so-polite way to hurry the fuck up and just get it done already.

He smirked as he played with Natsu's long hair which had managed to get entangled around his hand. He sighed as he decided Anko was quite capable of blowing the rock to smithereens if they took too long. "Unless you want them staring at all your secrets you'd better hurry and get cleaned up. We have to go back or Tsunade will disassemble the world to find you."

"And then what? I get to starve on a street corner? I don't think so." She looked him full in the face, the raw anger in her very blue eyes unmistakable.

"I'll make it right, Natsu. But you'll be on the team as Natsu. Not that orange wearing boy."

"No I won't." She turned and stomped out of the pool. She marched over to her clothes though and began repacking everything into her scrolls except for what she would be wearing. She chose a lime green shirt of netting under a tinker's jacket of emerald green with red and gold embroidery. Her hips and the top of her legs were covered by matching lime green laced tights and a short emerald green skirt. Around her waist she fastened her belt with the kunai and first aid kit. Strapped high under her skirt she carried an extra pouch filled with everything from kunai to ninwire. She placed a silk band around her head to keep her hair out of the way as she packed the scrolls into her bag. When she was done packing she turned around found him dressed. A wave of her hand and the rock guarding the door disappeared. To him she said, "Anko could have tried all day to destroy that rock. But since it was never really there it wouldn't have worked." She smirked as she crossed her arms. He didn't reply, choosing instead to hold out her green sandals.

She sat down as the women came into the cavern and put on her shoes. Kakashi was already dressed. He was using a genjutsu to disguise his face since Natsu had ripped his real mask during their challenge fight. He didn't really care though. She could rip all the masks she wanted to so long as he had her by his side. She stood up and his eye filled with pride as he saw the amazement on Kurenai and Anko's faces. Shizune and Yugao, he concluded, already knew who she was.

Anko shook her head and asked the first question that came into her mind, "What did you mean that rock was never really there? It was too. I pounded on the damn thing."

"It was a solid illusion," Natsu answered, truthfully. She frowned at them. "I did the same thing to the Monument when I was twelve. Sheesh."

Kurenai shouted, "That was you? I thought it was that Naruto boy who got in trouble for it. Why'd you let him take the blame and credit for your prank?"

Natsu just cocked her head to the side and gave her a perplexed look. _Didn't the woman have eyes in her head? She was supposed to be the woman who used genjutsu as if it were the air she breathed._ Kurenai blinked as everyone was giving her the same look.

"What?" she asked.

"Kurenai, you're my friend but sometimes I wonder about you," said Anko. "Take a good look at her. Notice the coloring. Notice the markings. Who does it remind you of?"

Kurenai looked again. She was blond but so much prettier than Ino with the red highlights on the ends of her hair. They looked natural too. Her blue eyes were the same as Naruto's as were the whisker marks on her cheeks. Wait. Whisker marks?

"Naruto?" she whispered. "You're Naruto?! But . . . He's . . .Hinata. . . He's a boy."

"Umm. Ok. If you say so. But I'm pretty sure I'm not," answered Natsu. The rest of the group lost it. Pakkun took that moment to walk up to Kakashi. He delivered the message to his master and asked if he'd given him enough time. Kakashi just smiled ruefully, "I think that would take more than a week," as he glanced at Natsu, who was growling at the nindog.

Shizune moved over to her and started scolding her. "You know, it really wasn't very nice to leave Tsunade a letter."

"Then she shouldn't have listened to numbskull here." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Kakashi. Snorting she muttered, "Underneath the Underneath, my ass."

He winced as all the women except Kurenai, who was still coming to terms with Naruto being a girl, smirked at him and raised a brow at the same time. _What the 'ell_, he thought. _Did they practice that?_ "Um I think we can discuss my failings later on. Shall we go home now?" though everyone else missed the sign of anger in Natsu's eyes he didn't. Even if he hadn't heard the soft growl his fox mark would have told him she was anything but pleased. It had been steadily pulsing ever since he'd put her in the hotspring but the pulse was growing stronger and closer together with every minute they spent just standing here in her lair. Angrily she brushed past the group and stormed into the tunnel. Kurenai called out as she neared the first of the traps but Natsu just waved her hand and walked on through the passage. She made a left followed immediately by a right and knelt down to disable another spring loaded trap. The group of experienced nin right behind her though it was not an easy fit for Kakashi who was a lot taller and heavier than Natsu was. Twenty minutes later they had passed a landslide where an unlikely suitor had been buried beneath the rubble. Of course Moon Wolf had gathered all the unsuitable mates as a trophy gift for Kyuubi but still Natsu felt no compunction to put the debris back where it belonged.

Kurenai asked, "Aren't you going to reset that trap also?"

"Why would I? It served it's purpose." She sneered at the debris. "Besides which trap have you seen me reset since we left my lair?"

Kurenai blinked and realized the only time the girl had stopped moving was when a trap held supplies she wanted to re-gather. Otherwise she'd just waved a hand and walked through a trap field. "Just how many of these traps were illusionary?"

"Most of them," Natsu admitted. "But if you believe a thing to be real, then it's real enough to kill you."

"Why? Why so many traps and why not more made from real things?"

"Naruto never had enough money for much equipment after paying for other more necessary things."

"Genin pay isn't that bad," Kurenai said defensively to which Natsu just snorted. "It isn't. You're not the only orphan who had to live on it. They manage to get by."

Natsu whirled on her, her hair flying free in a half circle as she spun. Anger radiated off her like a cloud. Kakashi quick stepped in front of her before she could lay into the woman and Yugao and Shizune both gave Kurenai a look that told her to shut up if she didn't want to get hurt. Kakashi had Natsu trapped and was speaking low and quietly to her. It sounded to the rest as if it was mostly growls and rumbles but she was calming down. Finally they relaxed when they heard her mutter, "Let go of me Kashi." He complied and she turned and walked off, the only sign she was still angry, her clenched fists and snapping hair. And, yeah, her hair was still swinging and snapping in the energy of her anger. Kakashi just stood watching in amazement for a minute as the rest of the party came up next to him.

"Kurenai, I respect you as a fellow jounin but don't ever say something that stupid to my wife again. Her situation is nothing like any other genin you've ever met," he said calmly as he walked off to catch up to Natsu who was at the last trap waiting for them to catch up.

She dispelled it taking some of the sharpened rocks from the walls before moving on. A few minutes later and they were outside the labyrinth. She led them ten yards away from the entrance and then ran through a complicated series of thirty handsigns. On the last one all she said was, "be filled."

Dirt and rock came flying through the air and flowed into the entrance of the labyrinth. Everyone ducked and watched in amazement as the area was returned to it's natural state. "Why'd you do that?" asked Anko. "I thought this was to be your new home."

"Because, I'm not stupid. I'll never be allowed my freedom. Even if Tsunade was willing to let me go, he won't." She jerked her thumb at Kakashi again and turned for Konoha, leaving her brief taste of freedom behind her. She said nothing more about it, once again locking her pain deep inside but through the seal, Kakashi was aware of it. His heart ached to comfort her but his mind knew she wouldn't accept it from him. Not yet anyway. Instead he just walked beside her and used his nose to tell him when her need was getting out of her control again. He called a halt two hours later and led his wife off from the other women. He knew she'd be mortified if they knew why he'd called a halt but she was also in deep need and he wanted more than anything to satisfy that need. He quickly pitched his tent and led her inside. He put up a silencing spell which she managed to strengthen before growling, "Damnit."

"I know. You don't like it but I can make it go away for now. One day at a time Natsu. One thing at a time," he reassured her as he began to soothe her frazzled nerves. He kissed her holding her as close to him as he could get though he kept a hand on his seal on her neck and placed her hand over the one she'd given him. The pulsing rhythm of the seal calmed yet excited her until she forgot she didn't like this situation and let him make love to her. Of course the sensations he awoke with his mouth and free hand didn't hurt things either. Before long she was naked and writhing underneath him and he was pleasing her in ways she'd never dreamed of. His mouth was doing very sinful yet delicious things between her legs and she was crying out with yips and growls of pleasure. Her juices flowed and mingled with his saliva but he just lapped it all up enjoying the abandon with which she was splayed out for him. He ran his tongue over her seal before settling on which breast he wanted to taste. She groaned and raised her chest with her hands fisted in his silver locks. "Kashi," she moaned. "Do something, Kami damn it." He laughed as he slid inside the tight sheathe. He marveled again at how such a small woman could feel like such a perfect fit for him. He knew from locker room talk he wasn't a small man but she took every inch perfectly and matched him thrust for thrust. They released at the same time and he rubbed her back as she snuggled into his warmth for some sleep. Finally he pulled the sleeping bag over them and drifted into sleep with her. They slept for two hours before Natsu woke up hungry. She'd missed eating that day and wanted some food. She tried to move out of Kakashi's embrace but he only tightened his arms.

Cursing him she snarled, "Damnit Kashi, let me go. I'm hungry." He woke up and released his grip. He laid back and watched as she got dressed. He'd never get tired of watching her. When she was done she unzipped the tent and looked for the rest of the group. Yugao and Shizune were sitting by the fire and when they saw her Yugao got up to get a hairbrush. By the time she came back with it Natsu was sitting beside Shizune eating a plate of campers stew over rice. Yugao began brushing the golden locks as the girl ate daintily. Kakashi came out a few minutes later and grabbed a plate of stew also. He sat down close to Natsu but not where he couldn't see what Yugao was doing to get the snarls out of the long hair. When she was done brushing and detangling the mass, she separated it into three sections and then took the first and put it over one of Natsu's shoulders. Natsu groused as her hair landed in her plate but knew better than to complain too loudly. Yugao's fingers had a nasty habit of pulling very tightly. The last section was tossed over her other shoulder as Yugao began to braid the middle section. When the braid was finished, she wrapped it in the red thread Natsu reluctantly handed her. Then Yugao moved to the next section. Natsu was frowning but sitting still holding her chin in one hand with her elbow on her knee. The other arm lay across her lap, her fingers tapping an irritated beat against her thigh. Kakashi grinned at the resemblance to Naruto. He knew she was impatient with how long she'd have to sit there patiently while waiting for Yugao to finish her hair. Then he noticed Shizune was holding a kit in her hands. She had pulled out a green thread much like the red one Yugao had used on the previous braid. Yugao took it from her and Shizune watched as the new braid was wrapped in the same fashion as the last one. Then Yugao grabbed the last section of hair and tugged to make Natsu sit up straighter. The girl growled but complied. For a few minutes before swapping arms and leg. Shizune handed Yugao the gold thread and Kakashi watched as she wrapped it around the last braid. Then she grabbed all three braids and gave them a fierce tug startling a cry from Natsu and a growl from Kakashi. He was standing over Yugao before he'd realized he'd even moved. Natsu put her hand on his leg and he looked down at her where she sat on the log. He blinked and shook his head. He stepped back whispering, "What the 'Ell?"

Inside his head a voice answered, "You will always react to someone hurting her now, Cub. She is your mate. Mother of your cubs. You will die to protect her."

He blinked sitting up straight on the log. He had no idea who was talking to him for a couple of minutes and then he remembered the stories his father had told of the clan's secret. The Moon Wolf.

"Yep. Those weren't fairy tales, Cub. I'm as real as you are. As she is. And you have got a hard road to hoe because you wouldn't listen to me." Kakashi couldn't conceal his sigh. He looked to Natsu to see her smirking at him. There was definitely a devious twinkle in her eye as well and he almost shivered. Almost.

He again grew fascinated with what Yugao was doing with his wife's hair. He liked it loose but he understood she couldn't go into the field that way. It'd be too easy to capture her. Yugao was twining the three braids intricately around the girls head interspersing them in a complicated fashion until her whole head was covered with a braid and sparkling in metallic color. Red, green, and gold twinkled in the light of the afternoon sun. Yugao finally patted her shoulder and Natsu gave a heartfelt yip of gratitude. Then she leapt up into the tree overhead and began her exercise program. She'd just finished her warm-up and was starting her taijutsu when Anko and Kurenai poked their heads out of their tents to see what was going on. All five of the adults watched in amazement as the tiny slip of a female kept her place in the leafy calliope of riotous color over their heads. Natsu was leaping and twirling and bouncing from one limb to another with seeming abandon. Yet there was no wasted movements as she moved bending and twisting her frame in way Kakashi knew damn good and well the human form wasn't meant to go. Her flexibility though he knew for certain went farther than what she was showing right now. Right now she was only doing taijutsu.

"Damn it, Natsu. I just got done doing your hair. Now your gone need a bath and it'll be loose again," complained Yugao.

"She can't do her own hair?" asked Kurenai.

"Well she can brush it. And put it into pig tails like Tsunade wears," answered Shizune.

"But not into practical styles for ninja," added Yugao.

"Then she should cut it off," said Kurenai.

Kakashi gave her a murderous look and growled out, "No she shouldn't. I'll get her a damn hairdresser if she needs one first."

"Calm down Kakashi," said Shizune.

"She isn't cutting it." he replied, still furious at the idea of all that beauty being gone.

"Everyone she knows feels the same way. No one will cut it for her. It's never been cut in her life," reassured Yugao. "All the hair cutters in the village have strict orders they are not to even snip off one lock of her hair." He finally smiled smugly.

"Well, then you have a major problem," said Kurenai bluntly. Everyone looked at her. "She's a ninja with hair down to her rear. Hair that she can't dress alone."

They'd been so absorbed in their conversation they hadn't realized Natsu was finished her work-out. Until she spoke from right beside Kakashi. "Are you trying to get Kashi to kick your butt, Kurenai? Sheesh. It's not like I ever go out into the field looking like this. Damn woman. Think before you open your mouth. I go into the field as Naruto. Well I used to. Now I don't go into the field at all." She glared at Kakashi.

"I told you I'd fix that."

"Sure you will. I believe that as much as I believe when we get back there won't be any more idiots and murderous fiends in the village. You can't fix it."

"I can and I will but you are going to be you and not Naruto."

"You have a lot of confidence in yourself for a blind man. What the hell makes you think for one damn minute I want back on that screwed up team? You enjoy watching that damn prick try to kill me?"

"Careful how you answer that Kakashi," whispered Shizune and Yugao as both Kurenai and Anko held their breath.

He just looked at her and said, "He won't try to kill you. He just enjoys a good spar."

Going from dead still to full blown blur in less than a heartbeat Natsu attacked as Shizune and Yugao announced, "Wrong answer, Kakashi," and Natsu screamed, "Chidori is not a sparring move and you damn well know it." Her feet flew into his stomach and then she was behind him kicking up into his butt and sending him face first into the dirt. Before he could get back on his feet she was at him again kicking into his stomach as he tried to fend her off. She kicked him into the air next to the tree she'd used for a work-out and put her taijutsu moves to good practice. He finally uncovered his eye just to keep up with her as she flipped and twisted all around both him and the tree they were in. She was in complete anger driven control and she was kicking his butt.

"Crap," he thought. I forgot Sasuke had used that move on Naruto a lot lately. In his head the Moon Wolf called out, _"Stupid Cub. Way to get yourself killed before the honeymoon is over. Kyuubi, calm her down before she kills him. He doesn't heal like she does."_

The four women were just watching as Natsu, a girl half Kakashi size wiped the floor with him and he couldn't get a blow in edge-wise. None of them could quite believe what they were seeing but at least three of them knew he damn well deserved it for the way he'd treated Naruto. The fourth was thinking that if it was true that he had allowed one student to use a chidori on the other than he was only getting what he had coming. They noticed Kakashi wasn't attacking back, choosing instead to defend and try to restrain his opponent. But it really didn't look like Natsu was in any mood to let that happen anytime soon. But as suddenly as it began it was over and the girl was on her knees with a hand to her neck and an expression of pain on her face.

"What happened? I know damn well you never touched her. Why is she in pain," demanded Yugao.

"The seal," he answered simply as he walked over and picked her up. He took her hand off the seal on her neck and put it over the one on his. Calmly he placed his hand over her seal and sat down with her in his lap thinking nothing but soothing thoughts. As he concentrated on easing her pain and her anger his mind began wandering and his new thoughts were being transmitted to her as well.

With her face buried into his vest she mumbled, "Kashi, that's not helping, you jerk," but he noticed she snuggled in closer all the same. He rumbled with contentment and she smiled.

Kurenai and Anko took over the watch as Kakashi took his wife back to their tent. Shizune and Yugao took their places inside the other tents after warning Anko and Kurenai to just let Kakashi and Natsu sleep. Kurenai frowned but Anko reminded her that on this mission they were the objects to be protected. "Besides," she added, "How would you like to be ordered to work when you're newly married of less than a week? Until we get home, Natsu is not to be out of our sight and yeah we could order Kakashi to take a turn on watch but he's already keeping a closer eye on her than we are."

"Ok Anko. I am sooo not going there."

"Then just accept it. We'll wake Shizune and Yugao in six hours and catch a brief nap if Natsu isn't chomping at the bit to be moving by then. Though if she's really anything like Naruto she will be."

Morning came and Shizune made a quick breakfast of rice porridge. Natsu turned her nose up at it causing Kakashi to laugh at her. She looked at him blinking quietly not really awake yet since she was safe with both Yugao and Shizune nearby.

"Eat Natsu," he told her.

She moved the spoon around in the dish but wasn't really awake enough to eat any. Shizune sighed and took the bowl away. "Carry her Kakashi-san. She's not awake yet and won't be for a couple of hours but we've spent enough time in one spot. If there are any pursuers still around they'll find us if we wait any longer."

The campsite was quickly cleansed and the tents packed away. Yugao took Kakashi's pack as he settled his wife on his back and leapt into the trees followed by the four women. The only one of the group that seemed to be having a problem with Natsu was Kurenai and no one could understand why. But Kurenai's thoughts were centered on her female student and the major sized crush the girl had on the orange wearing boy who was nothing but a fraud for all the girl thought he was the most real person she'd ever met.

After two hours of traveling Natsu was squirming on Kakashi's back and he stopped to put her on his feet as she complained, "Your back is too broad. My legs hurt."

He chuckled and whispered in her ear, "That's not what I heard last night." She blushed fiery red and glared at him but didn't respond. Just before she leapt ahead of him she very slowly let her glance travel his entire length before licking her lips. His breath quickened and he started to reach for her as she leapt away laughing. Her laughter was as beautiful as she was, he thought, as he dashed after her.

Shizune looked at Yugao and the two smiled. Tsunade would be pleased. Anko said, "I don't think I've ever seen Kakashi so happy. At least not since Yondaime died and I'm not sure he was ever this happy before then."

"No he's happier now," confirmed Yugao, who had graduated at the same time as Kakashi and actually knew the jounin the best of them all.

"She's still a little liar who's been hiding a damn big secret that's gonna hurt a lot of people," snapped Kurenai.

Anko looked at her strangely until it dawned on her. "Oh you mean Naruto's one and only fan-girl he never tried to be anything more than a friend to so as not to get her hurt by people trying to kill him? Grow up Kurenai. That's not Natsu's fault. Her secret was much more important than a school girl crush."

"Hinata loves that boy because she believes him to be the most honest person she's ever met. And he's nothing but a bundle of lies. Everything about the kid was fake."

"So what? It kept him/her alive. What do you think he should have done? Gone up to her and said oh by the way Hinata, before you faint again I'm not a boy so go crush on somebody else. Yeah, that would have worked considering every time he goes near her she falls to the floor."

"He could have just tried Oh I don't know. Maybe BEING A GIRL in the first place." Kurenai was so into the argument that she didn't realize everyone had stopped and were staring at the two of them.

"Yeah, you're right Kurenai. I could have done that but at what age should I have decided the village was safe enough to be myself? And how long would it have taken before someone decided to show me just what girls were good for when they have no family to protect them? But then you believe all little girls are spoilt little fragile things like Hinata and yourself. Well, too bad you're wrong. I wasn't willing to be raped for Hinata-sama. Sorry." She turned and leapt away again.

The rest of the group turned to follow each of them giving Kurenai a look of total disgust as they followed after Natsu. Kakashi realized his wife was crying as he caught up to her. He swung her off the branch she had just touched down on and carried her bridal style. "Shh, she doesn't know the truth about growing up alone. And has never had to imagine what it would be like to be a little girl growing up that way. She didn't mean to upset you." Though his own insides churned and he yearned to teach Kurenai a lesson for hating on Natsu he knew calming her was more important right now.

She clutched at his vest and buried her face there until she regained her composure. He looked down after a few minutes and found her to be sleeping. He hugged her tighter and wondered why she was sleeping again. In his head the Moon Wolf explained.

"_Mating rituals and her first heat has taken a lot out of her. She's not free of the heat yet either. Plus she didn't eat anything yet and that spiteful woman really upset her because apparently she knows there will be a lot of people denouncing her for hiding her gender no matter what the reasons were. She's scared and upset so Kyuubi has pulled her into the cage to comfort her."_

"_**Kyuubi has her in the cage?! It's comforting her?! Are you sure?"**_ He glanced down at his peaceful looking wife as his own demon contact chuckled. _"Just as I will never hurt you, Kyuubi will never hurt her. Kyuubi has even more reason than I do to help the girl. If your mate dies so will my mate so we will all protect her. All of us. You will not put her on that team with that boy again either."_

"_But why not? Sasuke has never hurt a girl in his life."_

The Moon Wolf just blinked. Then he shook his head. _"Wasn't just me you were ignoring was it Cub? That boy hurts everyone who cares about him. He's using the pink-haired girl right now trying to get her with cub. That way he gets her off the team and he gets a possible heir to his clan. He's tried more than once to kill Kyuubi's kit. Your mate. He wants nothing more than to kill her for being in the group that killed his brother. He thinks she killed his brother just to spite him. But if he finds out his rival is a female he will hurt her. He will hurt her badly."_

Kakashi stayed silent the rest of the trip. Just as the sun was setting they dropped down in front of the guard post and he discovered Natsu was awake and looking at him patiently. "You could put me down now Kashi. My legs do work quite well you know."

Wincing in memory of just how well her legs worked and then grinning wickedly he leaned in and whispered, "Ummm. That they do and I'm gonna enjoy testing just how well they work when we get home."

She blushed again as her eyes took on a half lidded look. "And just what makes you think I will be allowed to go anywhere tonight?"

He set her on her feet but stayed next to her as he said, "Because if the Old Hag doesn't let me take you home she might just get more of a show than even she can handle. I'm not waiting all night to enact my plans for you."

She continued to blush but cocked a brow as she peered up at him to intent on their conversation to realize they'd been cleared to go to the Hokage's office. Yugao reached for Kakashi's arm as Shizune reached for Natsu's. The two were tugged back to the real world as the guards laughed and pondered out loud. "Now I wonder just what Kakashi-san could have been saying to make her blush that hard and yet look at him like that."

The group passed out of range of the gate guards and followed the women to the tower where Tsunade was waiting. Shikamaru saw them and fell into step with them. "I see you found her, Kakashi. Don't hurt her." He then turned and walked off into the crowd making it clear he wasn't a rival but would settle the score if Kakashi treated Natsu even remotely as badly as he had treated Naruto.

"How many are gonna talk to me like that?" he asked no one in particular.

"Hmm. Depends I guess," answered Natsu. "Iruka-niisan will probably try to beat the crap out of you anyway. Naruto meant a lot to him since he was the one Naruto went to when he had questions he couldn't answer or needed things he couldn't get. So you won't be escaping that one no matter what. Jiraiya might say something similar and of course Baa-chan and if you smart off to her I'll kick your ass. Again."

He grinned. "That's a much shorter list than I thought it was going to be actually."

"Why?"

"I thought Naruto was pretty well liked by the rookie nine."

She snorted. "The only ones of them who even knew where Naruto lived were Hinata and Shikamaru. And by the way, Red Eyes, you might just want to double check your facts before you judge Hinata-sama feelings for Naruto. She knew I was a girl cause she peeked."

"But . . . she always. . ."

"Well, what'd you think? Did you think she'd blow my secret by calling me chan or something. Real friends don't do that. She and Shikamaru both knew since our academy days. They're the only ones who took the time and trouble to think for themselves and follow their own thoughts. They decided I was right about them being openly friends with me so we hid our friendship."

"But she faints when you say two words to her." Kurenai said.

"It's an act. If you'll think back you'll realize she never fainted until her supposed "crush". It was a good way for us to have contact without anyone being any the wiser. She couldn't just disappear for a couple hours to meet me somewhere. Since her attempted kidnaping things got tighter around her so she always had guards on her."

Just then Hinata came running around the corner. Natsu stepped out of the group of adults so she could be seen. Hinata saw her and her whole face lit up as she rushed over to embrace her friend. "Oh Natsu. You get to be you now. I'm so happy. But what happened? Where did you go? Did he hurt you?" She looked at Kakashi with a definitely unfriendly look in her eye.

"I'll tell you another time. I've got to go see Baa-chan now. I understand the fat cow has been looking for me."

Hinata covered her mouth and tried to smother her giggles as Natsu showed her respect for the woman who meant the world to her. "Ok, Tempura restaurant or Yondaime's head?"

Natsu looked at Kakashi consideringly before saying, "I think his place. Somehow I don't think I have much choice right now."

Hinata also looked at Kakashi. "And where do you live Hatake-san?" she inquired politely giving him a small bow while still holding Natsu's hand.

Kakashi smiled and gave her his address, believing Natsu would need the companionship of her friend over the next few weeks no matter how badly he wanted to be the one she relied on. His head was telling him firmly that women needed the companionship of their own kind more than men did. The smile he got from Natsu made everything alright. To him it was as if the sun came out and he felt much better about telling another person where he could be found.

They went into the tower as Hinata took off for her home to fix food for three believing that there would be nothing worth eating in a bachelors pad. She was more right than she knew. Natsu stayed with the group letting them fall into position around her and hide her from view as best they could. Only when she safely reached Tsunade's inner chamber did she break away from the group again. Her large beautiful smile broke free again and it was a natural smile instead of the fake one Naruto always wore. She danced around the desk as Tsunade pushed back her chair and opened her arms to the small whirlwind. Natsu flung herself into the embrace and let the strong woman hug her until air became a problem.

"Baa-chan! Air. Important. Need Air," she panted, trying to break the embrace. Shizune went to help her and Kakashi exclaimed in a steely growl, "Release my wife, Hokage-sama."

In shock at hearing those words from him she looked up and relaxed her hold on Natsu who took a much needed shaky breath. "Thanks Kashi," Natsu said.

He smiled at her but didn't relax his stance. As she stood next to Tsunade the retrieval team gave their initial report and she dismissed them, reminding them to forget to file an official report of the mission. Yugao grinned at Kakashi and said she'd stop by the next morning to do Natsu's hair causing Kurenai to frown once more. Something Tsunade didn't miss. Nor did Natsu.

"She thinks I should cut my hair since I can't fix it myself. She has a valid point. It is a hazard in the field when no one is there to fix it for me."

Five voices said in perfect harmony, "You are not cutting your hair!"

Natsu spoke quietly. "But it's my hair," she whined and now Kurenai did smile. She finally understood. The girl's hair wasn't down to her hips because she wanted it that way. It was there because no one she knew would let her cut it.

"By the way, Hokage-sama I support Natsu for the rank of Chunnin," she announced. "She kicked Kakashi's butt using nothing but her own style of taijutsu and they were in a tree the whole time."

Yugao seconded her vote. And Anko, not to be out done, added her support. "Not only did she kick his ass for him she is also quite gifted in genjutsu and trap setting as well as disarming. She's more vicious with her traps than I am with mine." The whole group, including Kakashi shivered remembering some of the traps they'd encountered.

Yugao added, "And that's not even mentioning the ninjutsu's she used to make her hiding spot. The girl is one of the best all around nin it has ever been my pleasure to watch in action."

"All right. Thank you ladies for your time and effort on this mission. Yugao, Shizune please go find Jiraiya and the others and bring them to my office. Have everyone wait outside until I call you in. Kurenai, Anko my thanks for a job well done and I remind you. Keep this mission quiet. No one is to know where you went or why until further notice. You're all dismissed."

The four women in question vanished from the room. Then she turned to Kakashi who was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. For once he didn't have that perverted book out. "And you Kakashi? Do you feel she deserves a promotion?" asked Tsunade.

He nodded and said, "Her stealth abilities outclass even my own. Pakkun said to tell whoever taught her how to hide they did a good job. Normally people leave some trace of their presence but even the spot where she stopped and rested would have been scentless if it hadn't been for the Heat."

"So her being in heat is what let you track her?"

"Yeah. She didn't know about it or she probably would have covered up that scent trail also. It was very faint but it let me know I was on the right path. I kept going picking up nothing because she was moving and covering her trail too well. It was about four hours later that I just suddenly knew which way to go. I wasn't even aware of why I knew. I just did. I found the entrance to the warren she'd created with some very nice earth jutsu. Probably some water jutsu as well. But by that time my thinking wasn't all that clear. All I could think of was that I had to get to her before anyone else found her. I killed a guy not too long after that. I don't really remember anything more about the guy or why I killed him but I do remember an overwhelming anger that he was there. She did have some nasty traps set up and the tunnels she'd dug were very devious and twisted all over the place. I have no idea just how large that warren was but it was a place where a person could get lost and dead very very quickly. It took me about three days to reach her lair and yes it was a lair. A nice one but still more of an animal's home than a person's." He stopped speaking as his mind replayed the challenge and it's outcome. His visible eye grew distant and more smoky than it's normal hard as steel grey.

"So then what happened? Is she really your mate now? I know Pakkun said you would challenge her and she would challenge you but did you win?"

He smiled. "Hai. I challenged her when I found the lair. She answered my challenge with her own and we fought. _You_," he stressed the word, "don't need to know more about that than that I did win and she is my mate, my wife."

"So then the other team arrived to escort you back to Konoha?"

"I think Pakkun delayed them for a bit but I can't be positive."

"He did. He told me he was going to and I thought it was a good idea also since I had things I wanted to take care of here before she came home."

"What did you do while I was gone Baa-chan?" asked Natsu showing her curiosity in the way she titled her head to the side. She was standing between Kakashi's legs now and he had his arms draped over her protectively.

"Nothing all that drastic. Oh by the way what do you wish to do with the property that old complex stood on?"

"I'd build a new one with affordable rents if I could afford it but I can't so for now as soon as I find a way to pay the demolition crew just tear it down. There was a guy who was supposed to ask for permission to turn it into a park. Didn't he do that?"

"Yeah I got a request from someone to turn it into a park but I thought he was just trying to profit off of the lack of ownership papers being attached."

Natsu fixed her pseudo-mother with a stern look. "Baa-chan, no one profits from building a park that's free to all visitors."

"There was nothing about the request that led me to think you approved it or indicated in any way shape or form the true ownership of the property. I would have denied the request on that basis alone. You have to prove a property is without ownership before claiming it and making changes to it. His request didn't do that. I check on it because you'd lived there and found it was actually your property so of course after learning that I refused to even consider letting someone do something with it."

"You should have just asked Shikamaru. He would have told you my wishes. I gave him an overview of all my plans."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that, Gaki. You were always close-mouthed about your real friends."

"Wouldn't you be also?"

Tsunade sighed and reluctantly admitted, "Yeah in your shoes knowing that the wrong person seeing me with one of my friends would get my friend hurt. . .yeah I would have hid them also. Gaki I don't know how the hell you lived this life but you're a hell of a lot better person than I am." Natsu snorted.

"No I'm not." She sighed. "I have always known, well since I was five anyway, that I had the power to destroy every last one of them. But what would that have proved? What would it have solved? I could have at any time called on the demon's power and destroyed everything my attackers still held dear but it would not have changed anything. I could have easily have killed those who would hurt Naruto thinking they were hurting an untouchable demon but again what would their death prove? So I did what needed to be done. I took their hate, their pain and I made it my own. And by doing so I changed the Demon from an enemy into a trusted friend and mentor. And Baa-chan don't go telling me it's noble because all I really wanted at the time was to change the demon enough to get a decent night's sleep. Damn demon driven nightmares are the absolute best way to turn a person into an insomniac. And Kyuubi had more anger than the entire village put together from which she drew on to make those damn nightmares. Compared to her anger theirs was really not much at all."

Inside Natsu and Kakashi's consciousness, Moon Wolf and Kyuubi were talking. _"Did your cub just growl at me and threaten me?" Kyuubi asked the wolf._

"_You know, I think he did. Ballsy brat but he just found out about the years of nightmares you put the kit through."_

"_Still, he is a mortal. Maybe you should remind him of that?"_

"_I will but cut him some slack. He has never cared for anyone as much as he does and will continue to care for the Kit. And he has been alone for a very long time for mortals."_

Outside the mindscape the conversation had switched to a new topic. Or rather an old one. "So you think Natsu should be a chunnin also?" Tsunade asked Kakashi.

"Hai. I want her back on team seven but as herself. She refused to even consider it so you'll have to order it."

"Kaassshhiiiiiii I Said No!" She glared up at him from within the cocoon his body had formed around her.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and decided to find out just why Natsu didn't want to be back on team seven. "Why not Natsu? You already know all about their fighting styles and so you know exactly what to expect from them. Plus being on that team, you don't have to worry about anyone getting the wrong idea and saying or doing something they shouldn't simply because you're a girl. Sasuke doesn't care about girls and Sakura is too intent on him to care about you. And you'd be near enough to Kakashi for us not to worry about the remainder of the heat issues."

"I won't be put on that prick's team again so he can continue trying to kill me. All he wants is revenge because he thinks I killed his brother just to spite him and steal his honor from him."

"Who? Sasuke?" asked Kakashi. "He won't try anything now if he knows what's good for him. Besides you forget I've seen your real skills. I know you could kick his ass seven ways from Sunday and not even break a sweat. I keep telling you he's not a threat."

"Yeah and that's real reassuring coming from a man who let him chidori me repeatedly while denying me the right to use my rasengan."

"Well, I didn't say I'd let you kill him either. I said you could kick his ass. There is a difference."

Tsunade just held her peace and let them work it out. She knew what Natsu was concerned about and really the girl was justified. She was very petite and very beautiful and she had absolutely no reason to believe anyone would ever put their life on the line to protect her well-being. No one ever had. Very few people had even known she was a female but those who knew her as Naruto had never stepped up to protect him when it was clear he was outmatched. He'd had to either take it and hope he lived or pull a rabbit out of a hat and win by himself.

"If he attacks me with the intent to hurt me in a permanent manner whether it be to kill me or just to maim me I will bury his ass and you will not say a word about it. I will not be the practice target for those two any more."

"Deal," smiled Kakashi. He swooped down to capture her mouth before she could say another word. Five minutes later Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Ok you two. Breathe, Damnit." They broke apart. Kakashi was looking smug while Natsu was blushing. "Now ok. Natsu is on team seven and I will have the paperwork ready along with her chunnin vest tomorrow. But Kakashi you hear me well. If that Uchiha boy is allowed to harm a single hair on her head she won't be the only angry female you'll be dealing with. I don't want to hear about any more incidents with him." He nodded his understanding and she said, "Take her home. I think it's clear there are other issues you need to take care of and I do have other business to see to today also."

They left the office and Kakashi walked his wife towards his family home. He had an apartment but now that he had a wife he wouldn't be living there anymore. They found Hinata and Shikamaru waiting for them just inside the gate. A high chain fence enclosed the property and a double gate barred entry to the outside world. Kakashi wondered how the duo had gotten past the gate but decided it wasn't important enough to ask about now. What ever Hinata was holding smelled very good and he led the little party into the foyer of the house.

"The house hasn't been lived in since my Father's time but please make yourselves comfortable while I see to the heat and lights." He disappeared into the darkness as the three friends moved towards what looked to be a sitting room. Idle conversation filled the air as Hinata asked for details on just how she had become Kakashi's wife and Natsu told her story. Her anger at Kyuubi holding back the information about the Heat was clear and inside her mind Kyuubi shivered. Natsu still hadn't gotten back at her for with holding that information. By the time she had finished the tale Kakashi was standing behind her and the lights were on. Hinata was blushing furiously and Shikamaru was looking just a touch uncomfortable. But then the boy sighed and looked Kakashi in the eye.

"It's troublesome to the extreme but know this. If you hurt her in any way, I will do everything in my power to destroy you."

"I won't hurt her. To do so is to hurt myself. I may be, according to some, a kinky pervert but I am not into pain." Natsu snickered as did Hinata. Shikamaru just smirked.

"So who is the guy who has your eye now? Kurenai was extremely ticked with me for breaking your heart with my lies. You might need to reassure her."

Hinata laughed and Kakashi was surprised to find the shy heiress actually had a nice laugh. Of course it didn't compare with his wife's purely musical laugh but it was nice all the same. "Kiba keeps sniffing around but I just can't go with him. It might be different if he didn't smell like a wet dog all the time but his whole compound smells like that. Plus there's no way Father would approve of him. Father would kill him as soon as he opened his mouth."

"Ok so that just means Kiba is out of the question. It doesn't say who isn't." Natsu smirked ad turned slightly so that her arm could lay against the back of the couch. She tucked one slender leg under her and leaned her head to rest on her upraised arm. Kakashi took her free hand in his and placed his other hand on her shoulder area, letting his long fingers brush her seal. The intimate contact that brought sent a shudder through her and Kakashi knew it wouldn't be long before he'd need to get rid of their guests for the night.

"I think we should go eat that delicious food Hinata-san brought over," he murmured quietly to Natsu.

Her eyes opened as her stomach growled. Hinata and Shikamaru smiled again. "Show me to the kitchen and I'll get the food I brought over laid out. I knew you wouldn't have anything decent since you've been gone for a week and you're a bachelor so I took the liberty of cooking a decent meal for you both."

"Then she dropped by and tempted me with it. It's troublesome but no one cooks like Hinata."

"So once she let you smelled her basket you trailed after her like a puppy dog," teased Natsu. Shikamaru grinned a decidedly wolfish grin and nodded. "Do you really like her, Shika?" asked Natsu quietly. He said nothing but there was a look in his eyes that said he did. "You know I think she's just waiting for you to ask. I think she really likes you as well and I know Hiashi wouldn't kill you. The man may be stern but the only reason he'd kill Kiba is because Kiba won't leave her alone. He refuses to take no as an answer and keeps asking. Each time he asks he gets bolder and bolder insisting she's just being shy. But we both know Hinata isn't really shy at all."

Kakashi looked startled until Natsu explained. "She's quiet, Kashi, but quiet doesn't mean shy. Shika needs to just ask her."

"You wouldn't be trying your hand at match making now would you Natsu?" asked Shika.

"Not at all but how will you feel come December to find out she is engaged to someone else?" His face went white and Kakashi got the picture.

"That won't happen," Shikamaru insisted but quietly.

"It will if you don't ask her. She'll turn eighteen on her birthday. If she is not involved with someone from the village by then her clan will decide to find a mate for her. She likes you. You like her. So ask already." Natsu stood up and moved around the couch. She led the way into the kitchen where Hinata was nervously waiting. A lot of information passed in a few moments between the two girls without either of them saying a word. Kakashi and Shikamaru just watched as the girls spoke a language both knew they'd never understand no matter how long they lived.

Hinata had prepared a beef Yakisoba with tempura vegetables and a nice dessert of lightly sugared fruits. They foursome settled in to eating and light conversation to which Kakashi mostly listened and watched Natsu interact with her peers. He couldn't believe how he had missed seeing the friendship between the trio but then again he had never seen Naruto wasn't real either. After dinner the girls cleared the table while the guys went off to do whatever guys do while women work. The girls continued to chatter about unimportant things while they cleaned up and when they were finished Hinata and Shikamaru prepared to take their leave.

"Are you sure you don't need me to come by and help you with your hair in the morning?" Hinata asked as she was leaving.

"Yugao said she'd be by to do it for me. Kurenai wasn't happy about that but nobody will let me cut it so what am I supposed to do?" Natsu complained.

Hinata laughed again and crooked a thumb at the horrified expression on Shikamaru's face. "I think he'd kill the hair dresser who even took off a snippet of your hair. Anyone who's seen it won't want you to cut it. It's too beautiful and unique for us."

"Yeah well, none of you have to put up with it's weight either or the fact that you can't dress it by yourself," Natsu groused.

Hinata just smirked and agreed as she waved over her shoulder to the newly wed couple. Shikamaru escorted her out of the gate as Kakashi shut the door and took his wife in his arms. He picked her up and carried her to their bedroom where he proceeded to release her hair from it's captivity before undressing first her and than himself. He'd been waiting a long time to be alone with her again and he was tired of waiting.

Hours later he lay beside her in their bed watching her sleep and wondering about the things he'd learned recently. One thing was for sure though. Tsunade wouldn't have to hurt him if anyone hurt Natsu. He'd do it himself. He fell asleep thinking about her tears when Kurenai had hurt her feelings. She wasn't as good at protecting herself from things as she had been at protecting Naruto. Or maybe it was simply that she knew Naruto wasn't real and so the things said about him didn't cut the same way. Either way he knew he didn't want to see her cry again. Ever.

The morning of October tenth came and Natsu was strangely reluctant to leave the house. She dithered and puttered around even going so far as to try and fix her own hair before Kakashi took the brush away from her. He smoothed the locks of molten gold and smiled into her eyes. "You're fine. We need to meet Hokage-sama and get you your vest. Then we need to meet the team and introduce them to the real you." He pretended not to notice her eyes flicking to the calendar but he knew exactly why she didn't want to leave the house today.

She sighed and he stepped back as she moved away from the dressing table. He leaned down and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Natsu-chan. I love you."

Then he led the way out of the house keeping a grip on her hand the whole way. She was pale but trying very hard not to show her fear. He knew this had never been a good day for her but Tsunade would not have time to spare later as the mourning celebration took place in the main square and she was expected to speak at it. She was expected to gush about the greatness of the fourth and cry over the tragedy of his death and exult at the destruction of the great fox. But she was not allowed to say a single word of the true hero of that day. The only one who hadn't been given the luxury of being able to die and leave this place behind. The only one who'd not even been given a choice in the matter. Of Natsu's sacrifice Tsunade was forbidden to say a single word. It always led to Tsunade getting drunk in a series of bars and gambling away any money she had on her at the time until either Jiraiya or Shizune would show up and take her home.

They entered the office and were allowed to go straight in. Jiraiya, Shizune and Tsunade were waiting for them. As soon as they came in Yugao showed up along with Iruka and Shikamaru and Hinata. Iruka kept peeking over at her and she finally got tired of it. Marching over to him she put her fists on her hips and titled her head to one side in a very foxy way. "Are you just gonna peek at me forever Nii-san or will you say hello sometime soon?"

He grinned and said, "I have to admit you're a much better girl than you were a boy. But why didn't you tell me? Maybe then I'd know how to react now."

She grinned and shrugged. "Jijii didn't want me to tell anyone. A secret is only a secret if one person knows. The more people find out, it ceases to be much of a secret. He didn't want me getting hurt and knew there was no way he could stop it if they knew the truth. So I told no one."

"But everyone else here knew," he protested.

"Yugao was my guardian as a small child. She took care of me after Baa-chan and Ero-Sannin left town. So yeah she knew. Shikamaru and Hinata found out in the academy. Hinata used her eyes and Shika just put things together for himself. But I didn't tell either of them."

"But what about. . ." he indicated Kakashi.

"He didn't know at all. Stupid blind bozo," she muttered causing everyone to snicker as a flush rose above the edge of Kakashi's mask.

"How many times am I gonna have to apologize for that?" he asked plaintively.

"Until you start practicing what you preach," was her answer causing everyone to laugh openly.

"Anyway," said Tsunade. "You asked last night what changes I've made while you were gone. Well one of them is that I've abolished the barbaric practice of a mourning celebration of this day. If they can't see you for the hero you are than the true reason for celebrating this day is lost on them and only serves to remind them of what they lost. It does nothing but fuel their negative feelings. Very few even visit their loved ones graves during the two weeks surrounding this date and none do on this day. So they don't mourn as much as they pretend they do. They celebrate only when they've hurt you. So no more will there be a festival."

Natsu was standing there with her eyes wide and her mouth open in total shock. "But the council. . ." she finally stammered out.

"Ah that brings up the next change. The council has been. . .restructured. I got suspicious of how neatly things had fit together and selected some people to investigate it for me. What we found confirmed my suspicions so we sent word to someone who wants to meet you very badly."

Shizune moved to the main doors as Natsu moved back to Kakashi's side. She wasn't even aware of moving until she felt his arms encircling her. Meeting people as Natsu was not something she'd ever been comfortable doing having been conditioned all her life to think that the people she met would harm her if they knew who she was.

A man in fancy formal dress came into the office and looked around him at the gathered people. Most of the assembly fell to one knee with their heads bent. Most of them did. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Yugao, Iruka, Shikamaru, Hinata and Shizune were all on their knees. Kakashi would have been but for Natsu who was frozen in fear. She didn't move. She had no idea who this man was but seeing all her precious people on their knees before her told her that no matter what he said it would happen. The man eyes fell on her and he smiled with kindness and he bowed to her.

She gaped in shock but didn't relax. "I am honored to meet the one who saves my empire with every delicate breath you take. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifice you have made, young Namikaze Natsu Sukai. It has been my pleasure to finally be able to do something for you to repay you for what you have given for me. This small deed is but a token of the debt that is owed to you." He rose from his bow, understanding the confusion displayed by the girl but having no clue what to do to ease it.

In a shaky voice she brought the room back to normal as only she could. "Who are you and why did you bow to me? I am nobody special."

Iruka's head snapped up ready to yell at her for not knowing who was standing in the room. Yugao, Shikamaru and Hinata all sighed. Of course she wouldn't know who he was. Shizune just sighed also but Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi were laughing.

"She really is a treasure and so very much like they were," said the man looking to Tsunade, who had stood up as soon as he'd given her permission.

Jiraiya stepped to Tsunade's side and said, "She is a very interesting combination of the two of them and she's one of a kind. I thought Minato was unique and then he met Kushina. And she was a spitfire no one but Minato could control. It stands to reason that their daughter would be unique and priceless in her own way."

"Too true, you old pervert."

"What are you talking about, Ero-Sannin?" came Natsu's angry voice from the safety of Kakashi's embrace. "Don't talk about me as if I can't hear every word you're saying, you dirty old man."

Kakashi smiled widely and did nothing to stop her though both Yugao and Iruka frowned at her. The Daimyo threw back his head and bellowed. When he composed himself, he said, chuckling, "She calls you the same thing he did. Who told her? Or did she come up with it on her own?"

Jiraiya's shoulders drooped as he hung his head. "She called me that the first time she saw me in her masquerade as Naruto. No one had told her anything about Minato so she couldn't have known."

Still smiling widely the Daimyo looked at the Frog Sannin and told him, "You're never gonna be known as anything else now, are you?"

Jiraiya just shook his head as Tsunade explained. "As her alter-ego, Uzumaki Naruto she told everyone what he likes to do to relieve his stress so now all the young people call him by the nickname also." She was also grinning at Jiraiya's misfortune.

Natsu meanwhile was growing angry. She still didn't know who this man was and wanted her questions answered. She started to move forward but Kakashi tightened his grip. She tilted her head to look up at him. "Let me go, Kashi." she said plaintively.

He smiled and shook his head as the Daimyo and the two Sannin looked over at her. "Uh huh," he said. "You're gonna say something you shouldn't."

Her brow quirked as she said, "And why not? I'm the only one here that doesn't seem to know just what the hell is going on and who the hell is he? If you know tell me," she demanded.

"Don't cuss," Kakashi told her smirking.

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth firmed as she said very lowly, "Do not tell me how to talk. Now tell me who he is or let me go." She didn't even notice she'd done as he requested and left out the swear words.

"He's the Daimyo of Fire Country, Natsu. He's really the one that signs your paycheck and approves your promotions," said Shikamaru.

"Oh." She was quiet for a minute while she computed that information. Then she blurted out, "Then why the hell did he bow to me?" looking at the Daimyo.

The Daimyo was far from angered by her actions. He was totally amused. It had been a long time since he'd met someone who didn't fall all over themselves to worship at his feet. And he had a feeling this woman-child worshiped no one. He smiled and told her. "I told you why I was bowing to you. You deserve every little bit of honor and respect I can give you and if I had known how you were being forced to live here I would have removed you from this village long ago. One does not treat the object of their daily freedom with such blatant disrespect as you have been shown. It is only through your own will power that the Demon, who nearly destroyed this village and my empire eighteen years ago, remains contained. So I hold you in the highest esteem and will gladly lay down my life for yours any day. So should everyone else in my empire."

"But. . . but. . . I don't understand." Kakashi just held her tighter while she gathered her thoughts.

Tsunade moved towards Natsu and raised her chin so she could look the girl in the eye. "I told you, you are a very special girl. You always have been and always will be. No one has the power you do and it's not the power of the demon that makes you special. It's the power of your heart. You see what others don't. You hear what we all miss."

Jiraiya came over to join them. "And then you act on what we missed and it's only later we find you did the right thing."

"Because of you my empire has grown by leaps and bounds with new contracts from other small countries as their rulers have been changed through contact with you. Rightful rulers now sit on the throne in countries that might not even exist anymore if they hadn't met you. Fire Country now has less enemies because you never give up once you see a wrong that needs to be set right."

"I didn't do all that. Ask Sakura. She'll tell you. I just mess everything up."

"Well, if those were mess-ups please keep it up. Do you have any idea how much business you have brought not only to the Fire Kingdom but to Konoha? How many people who once they meet you end up requesting you for all their future business needs? Child, you are probably the most popular Konoha nin in the outside world."

"The queen of snow country, the ruler of the waterfall village, the ruler of tea country, the ruler of star, and the people of wave. All these people have given us contracts for trade and missions and all they ask in return is that we send you to visit once in a while," explained Tsunade.

"You brought Konoha all that business plus the trade agreement with Sand and with Cloud. It was you being you that did that. Not Sakura or Sasuke or even Kakashi. You did it," said Shikamaru.

Hinata added, "But it isn't only people outside of Konoha you change. You changed Neji too. He's warmer now. He doesn't live cursing his life and waiting to slip up and die for being born branch."

"And there are so many others who's lives have changed just by knowing you. Some never met the real you but they found it hard to look into those eyes and continue seeing a demon there," said Iruka.

"For others, they had to see the real you but the effect of knowing you is the same. Don't believe me?" asked Yugao. "Look over your shoulder." She pointed to Kakashi who blinked and then smiled. "I have known him since our academy days when he was a four year old walking thesaurus. He has never ever been as happy as he is now."

"You were that smart, Kashi?" she asked and when he nodded ruefully, added in a wondering tone of voice, "What happened?"

The room lost it again. Everyone was laughing as Kakashi tried to find his ego from where it had fallen to the floor. Or maybe it was on the floor below.

"And that's what we mean, Kiddo. You just can't help but say the first thing that pops into your head. It usually stings and makes people mad but that's only because it's right on the mark," laughed Jiraiya. "You brought my teammate back here Kiddo and made her become the responsible person we all knew she could be. You made her face herself and because of that she found the strength to accept her destiny. Thanks, Kiddo." Tsunade looked at him and blushed but she reached out for Natsu also. Kakashi let her go and she was enveloped in a warm hug.

"He's right, you know. I wouldn't ever have returned here without you but it was always my destiny to sit in that chair. No matter how much I denied it, I knew it wasn't Nawaki or even Dan who were to become the Hokage. I was and that's why this necklace," she tapped the crystal Natsu wore around her neck, "was passed to me when I was about your age. Now it is yours and someday you will fulfill your destiny and sit in that chair also." It was the first time she had ever admitted to knowing the truth of the necklace and it's curse before she'd given it to Nawaki. Tears sparkled in her eyes at the mention of the little brother who had died alone and in pain and her fiancé who'd left her behind but they were only remnants of tears shed long ago and she was able to smile at the girl who'd shown her a way to heal her heart and forgive herself.

The Daimyo took over the conversation. He did have other things to do today but seeing this one girl come into her rightful inheritance and stand tall and strong in the spotlight of the glory of the sun was something he wouldn't miss for all the tea in the land. It was time his people knew just who this little slip of a beautiful girl was and he intended they all know it before he left the village. He walked to the patio doors off the office and out onto the patio where the village had been gathered for an announcement they knew nothing of.

As soon as he was spotted people fell to their knees in the traditional pose of respect, pulling others who didn't know him down also. He waited for a minute to make sure their brains were working again before he addressed them. Tsunade came to stand to one side and slightly behind him with Natsu hidden behind her. Jiraiya took up his position on the other side with Kakashi behind him. Yugao, Shizune, Shikamaru and Hinata listened from their places in the office.

The Daimyo began to speak. "Eighteen years ago on this day a great tragedy faced this village. Indeed this tragedy was a threat to the entire nation but the leader that day was a brave and noble young man who was willing to do whatever it took to protect us all. He stopped the demon that was rampaging across our land. But this was not a task he could do alone. To completely contain the threat that faced us he needed the help of a very special person. One who was only minutes old and had already suffered a monumental loss. He needed the help of his own child. His little girl who didn't even know her own name, who's mother died to bring her into this world just so she could fulfill her destiny on time. He needed Hatake Namikaze Natsu Sukai." Tsunade stepped aside revealing Natsu to the crowd.

"Using a jutsu he knew full well the price of, he sealed the immortal Kyuubi into a living breathing and feeling vessel, trusting that she would be strong enough to contain the evil that formed the demon. The jutsu he used put the Demon into a deep sleep which only the near death of it's container could awaken it from. That was done to give his daughter a chance to grow and come into her own. To give the village and indeed the land a chance to honor her for the sacrifice of her very life and her soul. Because of the seal, her soul is forever tied to the soul of the demon and should she fail to contain the demon before it is purged or purified then she is damned along with it. She will become a part of it as it is a part of her. Her father, your Yondaime, knew all this when he sealed the Demon, that threatened your hopes and dreams, your lives, into his own little girl."

"But in spite of his wishes, she was not seen as the hero she is. No one understood her seal. I understand that. But what I do not understand is why no one tried to understand it before they tried to order her death. And what I absolutely can not understand is why on earth any of you would think your pitifully weak selves could do what the Yondaime, the strongest and best man of his generation, freely admitted he could not. Why did you think you could kill an immortal demon? This I can not understand. Luckily for all of you Hatake Namikaze Natsu Sukai is a much more understanding and forgiving person than I will ever be And today I will give her the gift of her freedom. Freedom to be the woman she was born to be by ending the existence of the source of the threat against her safety. I order the execution of the three traitors standing below us."

People in the crowd were looking at each other in confusion. They had no idea what the Daimyo was talking about. They'd never even seen this girl before in their lives. On a dias in front of the crowd were three people dressed in the rags of the condemned with black bags tied over their heads. Ropes bound them to each other and constrict the movements of their hands and feet. The crowd looked at the condemned and wondered who they were. The headsman stood off to the side looking very intimidating and stern as he waited for the signal.

The Daimyo pulled Natsu forward and into the light. The whisker marks on her cheeks stood out but she was above the crowd and they weren't quite sure of what they saw. Hyuuga in the crowd activated their dojutsu and examined the girl. Sasuke activated his eyes to see if he could determine who she was but his sharingan told him nothing. The byakugan told the story however and it wasn't long before whispers told everyone of the similarity between this girl and one they all knew as Uzumaki Naruto.

"Natsu has lived in this village everyday of her life. When she was five, to protect her from a fate no little girl should suffer, the Sandaime created a henge for her to turn her into a little boy. The reason for that was those three traitors who's life will end today. They wanted the Hero of the village walking the streets where they felt she would succumb to their wishes and allow them to use her as a weapon or destroy herself to free the village from the taint of the Demon. Because of them she could never be allowed to be herself in her own home village. She could never have a friend or be seen in a positive light by anyone. These three traitors would have hurt anyone who got close to her. So she hid. She wore orange, acted stupid, played pranks and never let you see her. But that ends today. Today Uzumaki Naruto no longer exists and Hatake Namikaze Natsu Sukai has stepped into his place. Please welcome the daughter of Namikaze Minato whom you all knew as the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha."

He stepped back but his hands held Natsu firmly in place. She turned her head trying to figure out what she was supposed to do and met Kakashi's eye. His look of pride gave her courage and she turned back to the crowd. She grinned and in that gamin grin the village knew without a doubt there did stand the child of the Yondaime and the vessel of the nine-tail demon. The applause began slowly as her few supporters in the group recognized her.

After a few minutes as the applause spread from one person to another skipping only those who didn't like Naruto which unfortunately was most of the crowd the Daimyo stepped forward to finish his speech. He went on to list the number of times the trio had tried to "Kill the Demon" by breaking the container and just why those attempts made them traitors in his eyes since should Natsu have been broken in that manner all that would have happened is Kyuubi would have taken over the vessel and destroyed them all. He ordered their hoods removed so that all the assembled could identify who had betrayed them in this manner.

Standing before the crowd was Danzo, a one armed old war hawk of a man who wanted to use the Kyuubi container to lead the village to greater acclaim by uniting all of the elemental nations under one banner. Second in line was a bitter prune faced woman who had lost her family to the demon while she had cowered away in the cabinet which had been built to shelter her two young grandchildren, thereby leaving them at the mercy of the rampaging demon. Her inability to forgive herself for their death had led her to believe the only possible salvation for herself was to finish the job of ridding the world of the threat of the Kyuubi forever.

Natsu's heart ached when she heard that and she couldn't stop herself as she moved to the side of the patio and climbed over the rail. The crowd watched as she calmly walked down the side of the tower and across the ground to the dias. Koharu stared at the girl mounting the stand and moving towards her. With one small hand Natsu reached out to touch the face of the wrinkled woman. So softly no one could hear her, she told the old woman, "You were afraid then and you are still afraid today. All this time your fear has ruled you but that is not how they wanted you to live. Let it end. All of them are waiting for you. Because you loved them, they loved you as well. But love does not mean being blind to another faults and they all knew yours. Please forgive yourself." Natsu finished speaking and watched as the angry sparkle in the old woman's eyes died out. The sparkle of tears replaced it and soon she was openly crying. Natsu stepped closer and gathered the woman in as tight a hug as she could managed. She rubbed the woman's back and murmured nonsense words to her as she gave her the comfort she hadn't be able to accept for eighteen years.

Upon the patio Tsunade murmured, "There she goes again." She smiled. Kakashi grinned with total pride. Jiraiya smirked and the Daimyo laughed. "She does do this all the time, doesn't she?" Tsunade nodded with a long suffering sigh. He continued looking at Kakashi, "And you married her? Knowing this? Man, I don't envy you keeping up with her."

Kakashi's visible eye sparkled as he said, "Well, I didn't exactly know all this but I should have and keeping up with her will be a lot of fun. I'll never get bored that's for sure." Mischief was on everyone's face as Kakashi finished speaking.

Back on the dias Natsu looked to the last man and the crowd followed her gaze. A shocked gasp was heard in the silence. A girls voice was heard to say questioningly, "Tousan? Why are you. . . What does. . . But Mother said. . . You're alive? All this time?. . ."

Natsu turned to the crowd and found her pink haired teammate on the ground with tears streaming down her face. Ino was beside Sakura in an instant holding the girl close as Tenten fell into place on the other side. Natsu turned back to the man. Quietly she said, "I think she deserves the truth don't you? She has lived with the lie since you left your life behind to pursue your chosen path."

He glared at her but then looked to his little girl crying on the ground. He looked for his former wife but couldn't find her face in the crowd. He should have known the bitch wouldn't be here for the girl. He sighed and spoke, cold arrogance dripping from each word. "Sakura, stand up. Haruno's do not grovel in the dirt. Our clan lost enough eighteen years ago. Do not squander the only thing we have left. I did this for those we lost. For everything the Haruno's gave up. Unwillingly. We did not choose to stand and fight but we were ordered to throw away our lives. It would have meant something if that damn man had not chosen to merely seal the demon away in this pitifully weak human shell. But he did. He made our losses trivial. Worthless. Without meaning. So I chose to disappear and work silently in the shadows to finish the task that fool of a man chose not to. I chose to restore meaning to the deaths of our clan. I still choose meaning in death." He lunged forward towards Natsu. Koharu stepped in front of her, not that there was anything he could have done bound by the ropes and tied to his fellows as he was.

"Well, looks like she's finished saving another soul from the darkness but I think the men are lost causes. Time to wrap this up." The Daimyo stepped forward and introduced the last member of the traitorous three.

Natsu held Koharu by the arm and refused the headsman access to the woman. Raising her voice loud enough to be heard by everyone she said, "To execute them is your right as they have acted in the past and will continue to act in the future against the expressed best interest of not only this village but the Land of Fire as a whole. However to execute her for the same reason is folly that will only damn all of us here today. Yes, she acted wrong. She made poor choices knowing she was making a choice at the time but everyone deserves a second chance if they are willing to see it and accept it with the intention of changing the steps they take. Will you give her the opportunity to show you her new path? Will you give her the time to find her way home again?" She was looking up at the Daimyo as she spoke and other than holding the old woman by the arm gave no indication she was even aware of anyone else there.

"But she has betrayed you. She has betrayed your father. She has betrayed her old teammate. Why would you wish to give her another chance?" questioned the Daimyo.

"She was lost then. I will not claim she didn't know what she was doing. She most assuredly did but I will stand by the fact that she was lost in her own self-blame and grief." She turned her head and looked into the sad eyes of the broken old woman. She gave her a soft smile. "But now she is back. It will take time but she will be free again. She will find the woman she was and the Will of Fire will carry her home when she is ready." She turned back to the patio. "But that day is not today."

"As you wish. I will give this traitor a chance to prove her remorse. She shall serve you as your vassal under supervision until she proves you have no reason to fear her presence. Traitor step forward." Koharu stepped forward and with her head lowered waited for what the Daimyo would say. "From this day forward you will live at the sufferance of your master. Her will is your will. Her wish is your wish. Her order is your command. Is this acceptable to you?"

"Hai, my Lord Daimyo. I will serve the Lady Hatake Namikaze Natsu Sukai."

"Then I order the Oath of Binding be placed on you by the time the sun sets on this day. You will be held under full guard until the sealing is complete. This seal is to be placed where you may not removed it and bound to you in a manner to prevent anyone else from removing it also. You shall also swear the Oath of Servitude as will your descendants should you have any remaining. Do you?"

Koharu starts to answer but Natsu stepped forward again. She was frowning and shaking her head in denial. "No. That is not fair. I know who her remaining family is and I will not bind Moegi to the chains of her Grandmothers choice. If you wish Koharu to serve me for her atonement, then so be it. But Moegi is only a child and she has done me no wrong."

"Is this true? Or are you covering for the child because she is a child?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed and her anger at being called a liar radiated off her small form. Planting her fists on her hips she glared up at the Daimyo and stamped her tiny foot leaving a broken board underneath it. "I Do Not LIE!" she stated in a clear voice that defied him to continue. Several titters ran through the assembly.

Moegi, though scared and confused, stepped up beside her grandmother. In a quiet voice she said, "I am Moegi, my Lord. This is my grandmother on my mothers side. If it is your will that I be used to hold my Grandmother to her bond than I will do as you command."

"Oh no you won't," declared Natsu not about to accept the binding of a child. The Daimyo was reminded strongly of Kushina in that moment. That woman had been just as fiery and just as determined that children should not pay the price for the actions of adults.

"All right Lady Natsu, if you truly believe the girl should not be held hostage to her Grandmother's bond so be it but it is unusual."

"Unusual or not, it is what is right. She did no wrong. She should not be hostage for words or deeds not of her own making or choice. Parents and guardians should protect and love their charges but children should never suffer for the choice they made. Moegi can move in with me, if she so chooses and has no place she would rather live but she is not and will not be my servant. She has her own honor and I know she will do a fine job of protecting it with her Grandmother's fate to serve as her example."

And that neatly tied up the situation in such a manner it could not be changed without the Daimyo looking like a child abuser. And also pointed out quite clearly how Natsu felt about her own sire using her as he did. Guards from the prison came to lead Koharu away as Moegi looked on tearfully. As Natsu led the girl off the dias she whispered, "Thank-you Naruto. I mean Natsu for saving my grandmother. I know you didn't have to."

"But I did, Moegi. Can you say you and the Konohamaru corp wouldn't do the same thing for me? She's your grandmother. Our lifestyle is hard enough without having to try and hold your head up for a task you never did. Your Grandmother should pay for and receive the rewards for the actions she chose to make, don't you think? Just as you should for things you choose to do."

"Well, maybe. Yeah I guess but still I know you didn't have to speak for her."

Hyuuga Hiashi fell into step beside them with his daughters and nephew in tow. "That is correct. She did not but she would not be the person we know if she did not. She would not be my heir's best friend or my nephew's idol. Nor would she be the example I hold up to my youngest daughter. Remember this day well, young Moegi and learn from it. There is always a chance to change not only your own destiny but the destiny of those you meet." Then he led the children of his clan away after a brief bow in Natsu's direction.

They were almost to the tower when Sasuke popped up in front of her putting his hand up to halt their progress. "Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before? I know everyone of note in this village but I do not know you. So you will go no farther until I get my questions answered."

"Get out of my way, Uchiha. I have no need to answer any of your questions."

"You will not proceed until I know who you are."

"You would know who I am if you'd clean your ears out once in a while Teme. I said get out of my way."

"I do not know you. I know who you fooled the Daimyo into thinking you were but I know full well the vessel is a boy. A boy who used to be on my team. A boy named Uzumaki Naruto and he deserves more than to be brushed aside by filth like you. So you will tell me the truth or you will progress no further."

Behind him a steely voice grated, "You were told who she is Uchiha. She told you to get out of her way. Now do it. Tsunade stood there backed up by all the people Natsu had met up with in the Hokage's office. Kakashi was suddenly beside Natsu standing just in front of her in a protective stance.

"I know what Naruto is and yet the Daimyo said she was the vessel. This can not be since I know Naruto is a boy and he is the vessel. I am an Uchiha and as such I demand the truth."

"I am Hatake Namikaze Natsu Sukai. That is all you need to know and more than you are entitled to know."

"Yeah right. According to the fairy tale you spun out for the Hokage and the Daimyo you're the daughter of the Yondaime but no sane person names his child Summer Day. That's so phony it only shows you lack imagination. And your claiming a connection to my Sensei whom I know full well has no human connections remaining. All he has are ghosts in his own mind. So again I demand you submit to me and answer my questions."

"Submit. . . to you." Her voice had gone deathly quiet and everyone backed up as she automatically slid into her fighting stance. "You think because you wear a clan symbol you are entitled to far more than your existence merits. If you can beat me I will give you your answers. But if I win you will never challenge me again. Is it a deal?"

"I accept and you are going to wish you knew more about your opponent the next time you choose to challenge someone above your station."

"Ok. A challenge has been issued and accepted. Terms have been made and the fight shall take place at the chunnin stadium today in an hour," announced Tsunade, stepping between the two quickly. She knew Natsu's style of fighting and she knew Sasuke's style too well to allow the two to commence their fight here. Kakashi smirked and walked off with Natsu. He wanted to get her home and take care of another little problem he knew had arisen due to all the range of emotions she'd gone through that day.

"Kaka-Sensei, aren't you going to give Sasuke-kun some pointers?" asked Sakura arriving on the scene just in time to hear the challenge and it's terms.

"Why would I give him pointers on how to fight my wife?" Kakashi asked over his shoulder.

"Your WHAT?!" shrieked Sakura as Sasuke stood in open mouthed shock.

"That would be why her name is _**Hatake**_ Namikaze don't you think?" he smirked at them. "See you all in an hour." He walked off with Natsu leaving his students gaping at his back.

"Have to give him credit for one thing," smirked Jiraiya. At Tsunade's questioning look he added, "He's got style enough to shut up his team." Everyone looked at the two chunnin who were still standing there trying to figure out when their Sensei had gained a wife and how come they hadn't known about it before this. It was clear to both of them that the girl was comfortable with him yet neither could say they'd ever seen her before today.

An hour later Natsu was at the stadium stretching her muscles. She was careful which exercises she did as she really didn't want to give away too much information even if that information was only how flexible she really was. Besides Kashi was watching her intently and grinning like a perverted fool as was Jiraiya. She finally had enough of their staring and whirled on them both. "If you two don't take your eyes and put them back where they belong, I'm gonna poke them out."

"Would it help if I said I like what I'm seeing," asked Kakashi as Jiraiya grinned and scribbled in his little black book.

"I don't know, Kashi. You like getting your ass kicked that much?" she shot back as Jiraiya cackled.

"Only when you kiss all the little booboos and make them better when you're done," he replied. Her face flamed and without thinking she charged his position. He vanished in a swirl of leaves as Jiraiya made sure he had the entire exchange recorded word for word. Natsu was looking for where Kashi had gone. Tsunade and the Daimyo arrived and after giving Natsu a smile full of their personal belief in her both took a seat in the V.I.P. box. The stadium began to fill up as she waited for the arrogant Uchiha to arrive. Kakashi came back to her side and wrapped her in a tight hug. He whispered in her ears for a minute causing her to flush bright red and punch him in the stomach, a move that was not missed by Jiraiya or the Daimyo.

The Daimyo laughed and said, "She's just like her Mother. I wonder who's fighting style she inherited."

"In a way neither. She has her own style that is reminiscent of both of them yet can't really be said to be from either one over the other." Tsunade explained. "Her upbringing forced her to pick it up in bits and pieces since most the people didn't want to teach her at all lest the demon child become too powerful and she reached a point where she couldn't be killed. So she combined what she saw others use from street brawlers to samurai and included ninja into her own style. She even included the acrobatics of a band of traveling circus performers and a couple of drunks who like to fight into the style. It's totally wild and unpredictable."

"And the Uchiha is in for an eye opening experience if he thinks his Sharingan gives him any advantage over her," added Jiraiya who'd arrived to hear Tsunade explaining Natsu's taijutsu style.

Hayate Gekko was once again acting as a proctor for the match-up and he was waiting with Natsu in the center of the ring. Both were growing irritated with the Uchiha. He was late and after giving him another ten minutes Natsu yelled up at the V.I.P. box. "Hey Baa-chan! You think he got scared and ran away again?"

Nervous titters filled the stadium as Tsunade's lips twitched. Sakura bellowed back, "Sasuke-kun is no coward. He'll be here and he's gonna own your ass."

"No one owns my ass, Haruno. And I sure as hell wouldn't sell it to that crooked stick."

At that comment the entire stadium roared. Some were laughing openly and others were offended because she'd just called the Uchiha gay while still others were offender she would insult their ideal of the perfect ninja.

Sasuke arrived in the stadium and did not receive the applause he'd expected. He was pretty much ignored until he cleared his throat and asked if they could please get this farce over with sometime this century.

"That eager are you Sasgay? Ok then. Let's rock and roll." She slid into her first kata position and waited to see what he would do.

Gekko started the match and got out of the way, having watch too many battles in which one or the other had fought. He just knew this match-up was gonna get ugly. Sasuke had underestimated his opponent and paid the price for it as she dashed across the stadium. With an agility and versatility he did not expect she pummeled him never staying in the same spot for longer than it took her to make contact with his body. She was enhancing her blows with chakra and had made contact five times before he had even moved. He tried hitting her but she couldn't be touched as she flipped and twisted and bent to avoid each strike he tried to make. Her smile never faltered as she pummeled him. Only by watching Kakashi could anyone tell she wasn't being touched.

Finally she backed off and smirked at him. "Are you ever gonna do something?" She quirked a foxy grin his way and said, "You look a little worse for wear there, Uchiha. What's the matter? Don't feel good today? Where's that famous Uchiha know how and aplomb you're always spouting off about?"

Sasuke activated his eyes and slid into his own first position. With one hand he protected his torso while the other hand was slightly extended in her direction. She didn't let up as she asked, "So you think you can stop me this time Teme?" She laughed in pure glee.

She created two clones and had them wait for her signal. Then she charged him again. He did a little bit better estimating where she was gonna be at any given time but he still couldn't hit her. So he switched to trying to slow her down by grabbing her by the hair, intent on forcing her to stay still so he could hit her. He missed, as her hair seemed to flow out of his grasp before he could close his fist around the silky stuff. He grew desperate and began shooting off fire ball after fire ball hoping to get lucky and hit her by chance.

Her laughter rebound around the stadium letting everyone know she was having a grand time as she outran his temper induced fire. Scorch marks showed the trail of her progress around the area. She was flitting and seeming to fly from one contact point to another without her feet ever making contact with a solid surface. Cut after cut, bruise after bruise opened on the Uchiha and all anyone could see of her was a golden green blur as she flew around.

Then she hit him with an uppercut and he went flying into the air. Showing a skill she had never shown before she followed him up kicking him higher all the while, her small feet hitting hard enough to bruise internal organs and chip bones. By the time the air was growing thin and gravity was finally winning the battle for their bodies, his back was a black and blue mess. Slowly they fell back into the stadium. Natsu controlled his descent by kicking him back up whenever he began to fall too fast. She knew the height she had kicked him to was too great a height for him to survive the fall without a fatal injury. So she kept him alive by halting his momentum with a reverse in his direction. She used her wind chakra to slow her own descent but she didn't like him well enough to afford him the same courtesy.

He didn't do anything. His body was in too much pain and his mind had shut down. He'd expected her to be a decent challenge but she was out of his league and he suspected he hadn't seen anything yet. By the time she let him fall to the ground all he could do was lay still and try not to groan too loudly. It disgusted him to know he hadn't progressed far enough to beat a little slip of a girl like her and yet he'd thought he was close to being able to beat his brother had Naruto not beaten him to it. Damn he hated that orange wearing loud mouth. As soon as he found him he was going to kill him.

The next thing he knew the match was called and he was being loaded onto a stretcher for transport to the hospital. Kakashi was standing next to the strange girl who'd beaten him so throughly and he felt his gut twist in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with his injuries. Kakashi was his Sensei, he thought in rage. He was supposed to be standing next to him, checking to see what his injuries were and if he'd recover. Not fawning over some useless girl. What the hell was wrong with the people today. He was being ignored for some new chick no one even knew the slightest little thing about. His fist clenched in anger and if he could have he'd have gotten off the stretcher to roast the girl where she stood. How dare she subvert everyone's attention away form him.

Sakura's voice penetrate the fog of his thoughts as she whined in his ear. He didn't really listen but it was impossible to totally ignore her whining completely. She'd held him up by whining about how he needed to teach the girl a lesson for her also since the girl hadn't even attempted to save her father though she'd spoken up for the old woman. She'd cried and carried on until he finally engaged her in sex just to get her to shut up even though he knew she wasn't ovulating yet. She'd been so pathetically eager it made his back teeth ache and he'd realized he was clenching them so he wouldn't kick her out and ruin his chance at an offspring off her useless hide. Maybe he should just kill her to get the final form of his famous eyes. Nah. She didn't mean enough to him for that but he wasn't even sure he'd like a child from her. I mean come on. Whoever heard of an Uchiha with pink hair and he was sure that the hair was a dominant trait that bred true generation after generation. Argh. . . his head hurt just thinking about it. But she had distracted him from seeing his Sensei fawning over the new girl. When he got out of the hospital he was going to teach that little bitch a lesson. One way or another he would teach her not to mess with her betters. On that thought one of the nurses stuck a needle in his arm and he passed out with dark thoughts of vengeance on his mind.

What he hadn't known was that both Natsu and Kakashi had checked on his status shortly after the medics finished examining him. They knew all he had was bumps and bruises though he'd be in traction for a bit to allow his spine to recover. She had kicked him hard enough to chip a couple of the vertebrae and that required he be held immobile while the small bones healed.

Tsunade wasn't too happy with her for that, as Sasuke was a terrible patient, but she could understand where Natsu had been coming from. Too many times, Natsu had been the one in pain and complaining about it had done her no good. And as Kakashi had explained things it might be better for team seven as a whole when Sasuke and Sakura finally found out Natsu was going to be a part of the team. He'd told her point blank that Natsu had a score to settle with the Uchiha and now that she didn't need to hold back on her skills this would keep building up until one of the two forced the issue. If they let the fight occur in that manner one or both might die. What was certain was the village would lose the Uchiha because Kakashi would kill the brat. And so they'd arrived on the scene and she'd decided the fight really was inevitable. She'd set the rules for Natsu knowing the girl was the one that needed to know how far she could go. All the involved parties had little doubt about the arrogant boy being able to even touch Natsu. They knew if she could beat Kakashi using only her taijutsu she could beat Sasuke since he couldn't beat Kakashi. However, there had been the fact that Kakashi wasn't trying to win when she'd beaten him up. And that fact had meant there was a chance however slim. The girl was jounin material and everyone who knew her knew it. Now the trick for Tsunade was talking Kakashi into letting her sign the girl up for the testing. She decided it could wait a week or two. At least until he was past the point of wanting to kill anyone who so much as scratched her.


End file.
